A Twist Is History
by Kyprish Prophetess
Summary: Bascially, Cooro and company land in Hogwarts, at the beginning of Harry's first year.
1. Chapter 1

_Do I look, sound, or act, like J.K. Rowling? Or Natsumi Mukai, for that matter? I didn't think so._

Dumbledore looked up in surprise as the door to his office opened, revealing Professor Snape.

"Severus! What is-" Before he could finish, Snape turned and gestured behind him. Four children walked in. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. They were dressed like Muggles, so why was Snape leading them here? There were three boys and a girl. One boy was older than the others, about sixteen. The others looked maybe twelve. The boy in front looked excited, the girl nervous, and the last boy appeared annoyed. The oldest one had no expression.

"I found these children wandering in the Forbidden Forest, Headmaster," Snape drawled. The excited boy jumped forward.

"Hi! I'm Cooro! This is Nana," the girl, "Husky," the other boy, "and Senri! Um…" Here he stopped, as the boy deemed Husky jabbed him in the back with a staff. Albus smiled.

"And how did you find your way into our forest?" Cooro began talking, dodging a swing from Husky.

"We were camping in the woods, and I saw something shiny! So, I ran towards it, and they followed. I found a swirly purple thing. When I tried to poke it, I fell in! And they followed. Then Mr…" He glanced at Snape.

"Professor Snape," the Potions Master said. Cooro nodded.

"Mr. Professor Snape came up and led us here." Chuckling quietly, the Headmaster nodded. Snape looked like he couldn't decide if he should be offended or pleased.

"Well then, welcome to Hogwarts School. If you wish, you are welcome to stay until we can find a way to send you home. Our students will be arriving shortly." Nana looked around in surprise.

"This is a school? For what?" Husky glanced around as well, but stayed quiet.

"For witchcraft and Wizardry." Cooro turned around and looked at the others, ignoring their shocked faces.

"Can we stay? _PLEASE_???" He was looking mostly at Husky. After hesitating a few moments, he nodded. Albus smiled, then clapped his hands once.

"Good! Now, the train will arrive in a half hour or so. If you'll just follow me, I will show you to the Great Hall. There will be a feast…" He didn't finish.

"A _feast??_ Yay! Food!!" Cooro began to dance around happily. Husky rolled his eyes, Nana giggled, and Senri just watched. Shaking his head, Dumbledore lead the odd group through the office door to the Great Hall, followed closely by Snape. As they walked in, Professor McGonagall ran up.

"Headmaster! The students arrived early, the carriages are pulling in now. And-" She vaguely noticed the children behind him. "Who are they?"

"Guests, for now. They will be sorted with the first years, I suppose." To the children, he added, "New students are sorted into one of four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now, Professor McGonagall will lead you to the chamber for the first years." Nana looked from McGonagall, to Dumbledore, to Snape, and back again.

"Are we supposed to wear those robes?" McGonagall began to lead them toward a door next to the Great Hall.

"Yes, but there's nothing to do about it right now. We'll see about it later. Now, wait in here. Hagrid will bring the others in a few minutes." She turned to Senri. "Try not to draw too much attention to yourself. You're too old to be a first year, so say nothing. As for the rest of you," she said, turning back to the others, "say nothing of how you got here or where you came from."

"Why?" Cooro looked up from a tapestry on the wall of a dragon. Before McGonagall could answer, Husky turned and whapped him on the head with his staff.

"Fool! They don't want us to attract attention!" Cooro nodded, pouting. Nana frowned at Husky.

"Don't hit him for that! It's not Cooro's fault he's confused!" Husky just glared. Senri looked from one to the other, then plopped down on the floor. He paged through his book. McGonagall looked at it curiously, then shrugged and left.

As they sat in silence, the door opened again to reveal several wet children about their age (discluding Senri), all in robes. Professor McGonagall was behind them. She looked them over, then began to speak. Several students looked curiously at Cooro and the others, and more still were staring at a boy near the front with messy black hair.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like you family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded with the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten up yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." From the back, Nana couldn't see who she was looking at, but they moved quickly to fix whatever had caught her gaze. She smoothed her dress.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She left, presumably to the Great Hall. The students began to chatter to themselves. The +Anima listened carefully. The other students were discussing how the Sorting worked. Many had older siblings that the students said had already been Sorted, who all had different stories on how it worked. Others muttered about someone named 'Harry Potter', and still others talked about 'Muggles.' Cooro turned to the others to ask what a Muggle was, but stopped short as several pearly-white people floated through the wall, and Husky muttered in awe.

"Ghosts." The ghosts were deep in conversation., and didn't seem to notice the children, though some had screamed when they entered.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-" The fat monk saying this was interrupted by another ghost in a ruff and tights.

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?" He looked down at them. Cooro waved excitedly, not aware of the odd looks he was receiving from the living.

"New students! About to be Sorted, I suppose?" The Friar looked over them, looking pleased. A few people nodded, silent. Cooro only grinned as Husky glowered at him, muttering about a spectacle.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know." The Friar looked up, as did several others, as a sharp voice cut in.

"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." As the ghosts floated through another wall, she continued.

"Now, form a line, and follow me." They followed her into the Hall, which elicited several gasps from the students. The ceiling showed the thick clouds and raindrops from outside, but nothing came in. Cooro turned to Nana happily.

"Is it a glass roof? Or magic? Oh, it looks like you could just go right through!" Nana shushed him. They walked between two tables filled with older students, all in robes. There were two more tables on the far walls, and one more for the teachers set at the end, facing the door. On a platform in front of it was a rickety stool and a tattered hat. Each of the four tables had golden plates and goblets, and a banner above it. There was a lion in red and gold, a snake in green and silver, a badger in yellow and black, and a raven in blue and grey. The teacher's table had a banner as well. It had all four animals, grouped around an ornate H. The students grouped up in front of the hat, waiting.

Cooro and the others were getting several stares, especially Senri, who towered over the rest of the first years. He looked back to the front in surprise as a voice began to sing. It was the hat!

_Oh you may not think I'm pretty, _

_But don't judge by what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black, _

_Your top hats sleek and tall, _

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might be in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

Applause burst out as it finished, bowing to each table before freezing. Cooro was the loudest of the first years, though he refrained from yelling with a warning look from Husky. Senri joined in the clapping a moment behind the others, and continued looking around.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted." Professor McGonagall called, before looking at a roll, of parchment and calling a girl forward. As each one went to their new house, the older students applauded. One boy ran toward the Gryffindor table with the hat still on, and had to walk back amidst laughter from the tables. When the name 'Harry Potter' came up, whispers broke out again. Nana saw Dumbledore lean forward slightly. The boy with messy black hair walked forward. The hat took a long time, and Harry began to mouth something. Nana wanted to use her bat ears to listen, but decided that it would attract too much attention. Finally, the hat came to a decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The boy grinned like Christmas had come early, and ran to the table, sitting next to several red-headed boys. The cheering was the loudest yet. Husky raised an eyebrow at this. Why was this boy so famous? The +Anima watched as the rest of the first years were Sorted, leaving only them there. McGonagall rolled up the parchment, then looked at them. She paused, and glanced at Dumbledore. He stood. Looking relieved, she walked around and sat in an empty seat at the head table.

"As you may have noticed, we have four guests here. They will be regarded as regular students until they return home. I ask that you all treat them with respect. Now," he looked at them, "Cooro. You first." Grinning, Cooro jumped forward, so quickly that the cloak Nana had made him fluttered up to show his +Anima markings, glowing faintly. Plopping down on the stool, he set the hat on his head, on top of his goggles. At once, he heard the hat's voice.

_Now, you are a strange one. Not from here, not at all… Very loyal, maybe Hufflepuff… But also very brave, never backing down from helping someone…I see…_ And the hat yelled out,

"GRYFFINDOR!" Grinning, he took off the hat, set it on the stool, and walked back to stand next to Nana. There was faint, confused cheering, as the students wondered why he was standing there. Nana leaned toward him.

"You have to walk to the table. We'll be there in a minute." Hesitating, he nodded, and walked to the table, sitting be the boy deemed Harry.

"Husky, you next, please." Frowning slightly, he walked up. Carefully, he put on the hat, not sure what to expect.

_Ah… another one… Rather surly, aren't you? And yet, just as loyal as your friend… o wonder what you'd do if I separated you… But…_

"GRYFFINDOR!" Relieved, Husky took off the hat, placing it carefully on the stool, and walking to sit by Cooro. Cooro was cheering louder than the others at the table, and smiling as widely as he could.

"Nana? Will you come up?" Hands shaking, Nana walked up to the stool. The shocked look on Husky's face when he put it on wasn't helping her nerves.

_Oh… Another friend of those others… Loyalty seems to run strong in your group, doesn't it? All from the first… And intelligent, aren't you? But you want to be with the others… Well, why not?_

"GRYFFINDOR!" A few tears dripped down her face as she put the hat on the stool, smiling. Hesitating, she looked back at Senri, who was watching her. He grinned slightly, and gestured at the table. Nana nodded, and trotted over, sitting carefully across from the boys.

"Senri, come up, please." Looking a bit dazed, Senri walked up, copying the others and pulling the hat on. Unlike the others, it barely fit, where it nearly covered their eyes. His expression didn't change as he sat there.

_Are you the last one? _He nodded. _Very well. Again, loyal to a fault, and strong… But little memory… Bit of an accident, was it? Ah, well. _

"GRYFFINDOR!" Senri stood up, took off the hat, and walked over to the table, sitting next to Nana. He didn't notice the odd looks most students were sending him. Dumbledore stood up, ending the whispers in an instant.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet," Cooro's mouth began to water, "I would like to, say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" And he sat began down. Husky looked up as Harry asked a red-head next to him, "Is he mad?" Husky was wondering the same thing.

"Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" Looking back at the plates, they all saw platters of food, all kinds, laid out all across the table. Cooro cheered, earning several stares, which he ignored, and dug in. The others looked at each other, to the food, shrugged, and began to eat as well.

Nana was reaching for a lamb chop when a voice asked from next to her, "Excuse me?" She looked up to see another first year, a girl with large front teeth and bushy brown hair.

"Um… I was just wondering where you came from. I don't mean to be rude!" she added quickly as Husky glanced over. "I was just curious, is all." Nana glanced at Husky, who shrugged, then Cooro, who smiled and nodded, and finally at Senri. He looked at her, then blinked. Not sure of what that meant, she turned to the girl again.

"We're from Astaria. 'Cept Husky, he was born in Sailand. I'm Nana, by the way." She smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Hermione Granger. Where are those countries? I've never heard of them." Before Nana could answer, the ghost with a ruff floated up to them.

"Hello, you must be the new first years. I am the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service." The youngest red-head, Ron, looked at him in surprise.

"My brothers told me about you! You're Nearly-Headless Nick!" Nick glared at him

"I prefer my given name of-" Before he could finish, another boy interrupted him.

"How can you be _nearly _headless?" Nick, looking peeved at the change of conversation, said irritably, "Like _this."_ Pulling on his left ear, he pulled his head off of his neck so that it hung there by a bit of skin. Grinning at the shocked looks of the first years (minus Senri, who looked blank, and Cooro, who was still eating), he flipped it back on.

"So- New Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house cup this year? Our house has never gone this long without winning. Slytherin has had it for six years in a row! The Bloody Baron is becoming unbearable." They all looked at the Slytherin table to see a blood-covered ghost with a gaunt face and staring eyes. He sat by a nervous first year with silver-blond hair. Cooro looked up.

"How did he get covered with blood?" he asked, with child-like curiosity.

"I've never asked." Cooro nodded, and continued eating. Soon, the plates cleaned themselves, and were replaced with desserts. Practically diving at an apple pie, Cooro nearly knocked over a large bowl of pudding. Righting it, he pulled the pie toward him, and began to eat, content. The others just rolled their eyes at him, while another red haired boy whispered to his twin.

"Three Sickles he eats it all." His twin looked at him.

"No way! He ate way too much dinner, he can't finish it!" They shook hands, while Nana giggled. The second twin stared as Cooro finished the pie, and reached for a tart.

"How in Merlin's name can you _eat _that much?" Cooro looked up from the tart.

"I like apples a lot! I'm not sure how I can eat so much…" He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged and continued on the tart. He turned to Nana, a mock sad-looking face in place.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Husky snorted.

"Cooro's a bottomless pit, but doesn't look it. I'm Nana, what's your name?" She smiled. He grinned back.

"I'm George, and this is Fred," he said, gesturing to his twin.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George!" The other said, looking outraged.

"No, I'm George!" As they argued, Ron turned to her, shaking his head.

"They do that all the time. Even Mum can't tell them apart. I'm Ron, that's Percy, and this is Harry," he said as he gestured to the last red head and the messy-haired boy.

"Nice to meet you! That's Husky, Senri, and, of course, Cooro." She made no mention of having heard of him, which surprised Harry. He said nothing of it.

The desserts disappeared, and even Cooro looked happily full. Dumbledore stood again.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He looked over at the twins as Nana glanced at Husky. Why was it forbidden?

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side, is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." A few people laughed at this last. Harry turned to Percy.

"He's not serious?" Percy frowned.

"Must be. It's odd, usually gives a good reason for places being off-limits. The Forbidden Forest is full of dangerous creatures, everyone knows that. He should have told the prefects, at least."

"And now, let's sing the school song!" The teacher's faces became rather set, Husky noticed, and he decided not to sing.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and golden streams flew out, forming the words.

"Everyone sing to your favorite tune, and off we go!"

Cooro joined the rest of the school as it bellowed:

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest, _

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

They all finished at different times, with the twins finished last at a funeral march. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The redhead Percy began to lead the first years to the Common Room. People began to watch the +Anima again as they were called back by McGonagall.

"You will have to make-do with the clothes you have until robes come in for you. The school will also provide textbooks, supplies, and see about getting you all wands. You," she pointed to Senri. "Would you prefer rooming with others your age, or with your friends?" He looked at her for a moment, then stepped toward Cooro.

"Very well, then. Nana, you will in the girl's dormitories, with four other first years. Boys and girls aren't allowed to room together." She turned back to them all, ignoring the looks from the others.

"All four of you will be in the same classes. I suggest you hurry and find the rest of your group." They nodded, turned and ran to the door.

"Nana? Can you hear them?" Cooro asked, looking at her. Her ears popped out, swiveling back and forth.

"No… This place is too big… Wait! There!" she yelled, pointing up a flight of stairs. The group began to run up. Reaching the top, Nana pointed left. Turning that way, they could see the last first year turning the corner at the end.

"Hold up!" Husky called as they ran forward. The person turned, revealing Harry. They caught up, and followed behind the rest as Percy led them through hidden halls, doors, and stairs. It was a confusing walk, and soon all were completely disoriented.

"What did Professor McGonagall want?" Harry asked.

"She was just telling us how the rooms would work, cause Senri's older than most first years." Nodding, Harry turned back to the front as Percy stopped in front of a painting of a large woman in a pink dress.

"Password?" Not looking surprised at the talking portrait, Percy answered.

"Caput Draconis." The picture opened to reveal a round hole in the wall. Clambering through, they found a large room, themed in red and gold, filled with squishy red arm chairs and couches, and a few tables near the walls. They were in the tower.

Percy directed the girls to one staircase, the boys to another. Husky, Cooro, and Senri went to the boy's stairs, watching Nana go to hers. The girl from earlier, Hermione, came up to her, and Nana looked relieved. Thankful, the boys went up. Finding a door with their names on it, Husky pulled it open. Five beds were inside, four-posters with red velvet curtains. Cooro jumped onto one, laughing as he bounced. Husky and Senri walked more slowly in and, after choosing their beds, undressed and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Again, I am not a famous, rich, talented author/ artist. I'm just a teen with no life._

Cooro woke and was disoriented for a moment, before remembering where they were. Sitting up, he saw Senri was looking out at the grounds. Hopping up, he walked over. Husky was still asleep.

"How long you been awake, Senri?" As an answer, he held his thumb and pointer a little apart.

"Okay! Hey, let's go down now, so we can follow someone else to breakfast, alright?" Earning a nod, Cooro walked over to Husky, to find him starting to wake.

"C'mon Husky! Let's go! Food~!" Rubbing his eyes, Husky got up. After they were all dressed, the boys left the room. In the hall, they met Harry and Ron, who were just leaving their dorm as well. Together, they went to the common room, to find Nana and Hermione waiting.

"Follow me! Food, food, food!" And as he continued to sing to himself, Cooro led the way out, forgetting his earlier idea to follow someone else down. However, it wasn't an issue, as Cooro led them all the way there without hesitating. When they arrived at the doorway, Ron turned to Cooro in shock.

"_How _did you know where to go?" Cooro looked at him with a grin, raising his arms above his head.

"I could smell the food!" He ran inside, jumping on a bench and beginning to eat. Shaking their heads, Husky and Nana walked in, followed by Senri and the golden trio. None of them commented on the looks Harry had been getting.

A loud noise made them all look up, to see hundreds of owls flying into the hall, carrying letters and packages to their owners. Cooro yelled excitedly, jumping up and calling random nonsense. He got quite a few stares. No one said anything, though. All but Ron had jumped at it. He explained that mail was delivered this way, and was completely normal. Eventually, they calmed Cooro down, and managed to continue eating. Harry decided not to ask why Cooro had freaked about the owls.

They received their schedules and looked them over. Harry looked at the others.

"Any idea where any of this stuff is?" They shook their heads, frowning. Cooro swallowed his mouthful and said, "Can we ask someone? Or should we follow the rest of the first years?" Nana looked at him in surprise, then nodded.

"We can ask. Look; there's Percy." She hopped up and walked over to him, holding her schedule. After a few minutes, she walked back.

"He told me how to get to the first few classes, and said to ask Professors Quirrel, Flitwick, McGonagall, or Sir Nicholas if we see him, for help." As she sat down, she added quietly, "He also said not to ask Professor Snape, because he dislikes our house and questions in general." They finished eating, and stood.

"What time does class start?" Ron muttered to himself. Husky looked at the clock.

"In ten minutes." Without another word, they ran off, following Nana. Cooro was laughing as he and Senri pulled ahead of her, pulled back, and repeated the action several times. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched them in surprise as they struggled to keep up, panting. Luckily their first class was close. They slipped into Transfiguration with a few minutes to spare. Professor McGonagall looked up at them as they sat down.

"You're early. Good, I must speak with you four," she said, pointing to Cooro, Senri, Nana, and Husky. They walked up to her desk. She leaned forward.

"Professor Dumbledore has asked me to tell you that your robes, books, and other supplies have been ordered. They will be here in a few days. However, your wands have not. Instead, on Friday afternoon, you will be escorted to Ollivander's shop in Diagon Alley. You are to be in the Entrance Hall at three precisely. If you are late, you will not go. Is that understood?" Seeing their nods, she went on.

"Now, go sit down. Class is about to begin." They turned and sat next to the others in the second row. As they had been talking, the class had filled with other first years from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. McGonagall stepped in front of her desk, looking them over.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She pulled out her wand. Husky eyed it speculatively. That_ was it? What was the big deal? _

Then she turned her desk into a pig, and back. Cooro turned to Nana, eyes wide, and whispered "Can she do that to people? Like +Anima?" Nana shhed him, and turned to the front again. Professor McGonagall was saying that they wouldn't be changing furniture to animals for a while, and assigned them to take notes. Glancing at the +Anima, she waved her wand. Blank parchment, quills, and ink appeared before them. When everyone had copied everything down, she handed out a match to everyone and assigned them to turn it into a needle. Cooro watched with interest as the others waved their wands and said the spell. It looked rather silly, but he didn't laugh.

At the end of the lesson, Hermione handed hers back, blushing a bit, to McGonagall, who praised her in front of the class for changing it almost completely to a needle. She smiled at her, a rarity, and Hermione blushed harder, though she managed to smile back, and looked a bit smug.

Charms went mainly the same; notes, practice, with the +Anima sitting back and watching. The only real distinction was Professor Flitwick fell off his stack of books when he called Harry's name.

Herbology was out in the greenhouse. As they walked, Cooro looked longingly at the sky, and Nana had to shove him forward to the door.

Cooro fell asleep in History of Magic, long before the rest of the class. Husky spent most of the class poking him.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was a let-down, as their teacher seemed in-capable of doing half the things he claimed to have done, such as getting rid of a zombie, or escaping an angry vampire. Both he and his classroom smelled of garlic, and the Weasley twins claimed that his turban was stuffed with it.

A week passed, and the group was quickly becoming very tight knit, though only Nana and Cooro really got along with Hermione, as she was a bit of a prick. As they ate breakfast on Friday, Harry asked what classes they had.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins. Snape's head of Slytherin house. They say he favors them- we'll be able to see if that's true," Ron said, after consulting his schedule.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Ron. He can't favor them!" Hermione also seemed to think teachers could do no wrong.

Before they could begin to argue, Cooro looked up and grinned.

"Pretty owl! She's coming over here, whose is she?" They looked up to see Hedwig flying toward them. She was carrying a letter, and dropped it onto Harry's plate. He opened it up to reveal an invitation to Hagrid's hut after lunch for tea. He sent back a _yes_, then turned to the others.

"Want to come?" Ron said yes, but Hermione wanted to study (or didn't think it pertained to her). Cooro looked apologetic.

"We have to go get wands. Sorry! Tell Hagrid hi, though. He sounds nice." Harry nodded, though he was disappointed. At least Ron would be there.

They finished breakfast (which Cooro had eaten at least twice that of everyone else) and left for the dungeons. As they walked, Husky turned to Nana.

"Anyone else think it's a bit creepy to have class in a dungeon?" Hermione turned to him angrily.

"Oh, honestly, you sound like Ron!" Before he could retort, they arrived at the class. Walking in, it looked as creepy as Snape did, with no natural light, bits of animals in glass jars, and a fermenting odor that made them all want to puke.

Like Professor Flitwick, Snape began class with role call. He paused as he reached Harry's name.

"Ah, yes. Potter. Our new celebrity." The blond boy from Slytherin, Malfoy, and his friends (or thugs, your choice) Crabbe and Goyle, sniggered at Snape's comment. He finished calling names, looking at them all with black eyes. Cooro shivered a bit at them. _He'd seemed so nice before!_

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The class was silent, and Hermione leaned forward, as if to prove him wrong.

"Potter!" Snape snapped suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry glanced at them. Ron was clueless, Cooro was bored, Senri looked blank, but Husky and Nana both glanced at Hermione, who was trying to see if she could hit the ceiling without standing up.

"I don't know, sir," Harry stated, looking at the Professor in puzzlement. _Why is _he_ asking me? _

Snape sneered.

"Tut, tut- fame clearly isn't everything." He was ignoring Hermione, though her hand threatened to strain itself as she reached higher.

"Let's try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Again he had no idea, and Harry wondered why Snape seemed to hate him.

"I don't know, sir." Malfoy and his cronies were laughing silently in the back.

"Thought you wouldn't crack open a textbook before coming, eh, Potter?" Harry continued to look at Snape, and Cooro wondered why Snape didn't like Harry. _Harry's nice, what's with him?_ Husky and Nana weren't paying attention, they were passing a piece of parchment back and forth on what was in the jar next to them. Senri was looking at Snape blankly, though anger was slowly leaking into his face.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Hermione jumped up, hand reaching toward the sky.

"I don't know. I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" There were a few giggles at his question. Seamus winked at him, but Snape was un-amused. Before he could say a thing, Cooro jumped up, looking angry.

"If you ask Harry questions, you have to ask everyone else! It's not fair to single out one student just for being famous!" Snape turned, surprised, to face the young crow.

"What on-" he muttered. Then, regaining his composure, he glared at them both.

"Two points from Gryffindor, one each for Potter and Cooro. For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you copying that down?" As the others began to write, Snape glanced once at Cooro, who glared for a moment more before sitting down.

Through the rest of the class Snape continued to treat the Gryffindors as he had Harry as they made a potion to cure boils. He criticized everyone but Malfoy and, oddly enough, Senri. As they measured snake fangs, Husky and Ron decided that it was because you couldn't really argue with a blank face like Senri's. Nana and Hermione discussed wands, but Cooro was oddly silent, still watching Snape.

As Snape praised Malfoy for something, green smoke and hissing filled the room. Everyone looked over to Neville, who had somehow made a potion that melted his cauldron and was currently burning holes in everything on the floor, including the people that hadn't gotten off the ground in time. Neville himself was wailing, covered in the potion and large red boils.

"Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Snape berated him as he cleared away the mess. He turned to Seamus.

"Take him up to the hospital wing." As Seamus escorted Neville out, Snape began to yell at Harry, somehow blaming him for the mess. Husky clamped his hand over Cooro's mouth before he could say a thing. Ron leaned toward Harry as he opened his mouth to argue.

"Don't push it. I've heard Snape can turn very nasty." They trooped out later, and Cooro was still quiet. Nana turned to him.

"What's wrong, Cooro?" Everyone else watched as he looked up.

"I thought he was nice before. That's all." He moved over to walk by Senri, who, after all, wouldn't talk. During lunch, however, he cheered up, and by the time they split off to leave, he was quite normal. Waving goodbye, he looked around the hall.

"Does anyone know who is taking us wherever we're going?" Husky asked, looking at the three of them. Shaking her head, Nana glanced around the near-empty hall. She spotted the Headmaster walking their way.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore. Are you taking us?" Smiling, Dumbledore came to a stop in front of them.

"Hello as well. Yes, I am escorting you to Diagon Alley. Now, if you will follow me please." He gestured toward the doors outside. Once out, they followed him until they reached the gates. There, Dumbledore pointed to a broom leaning on the wall.

"If you'll all put one hand on that, please. Yes- get a good grip, Husky- Now, on the count of three. One, two three." On three, they all felt a pull on the back of the navel, and the world disappeared around them.

A moment later, they all landed. Dumbledore looked un-ruffled, but he was the only one. Senri and Husky had landed on their butts, and though Nana and Cooro were standing, they appeared winded. Albus grinned at them.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley. We will get your wands first, then pick up your other items. If you'll come this way," he lead the way down a crowded street, with shops selling things like cauldrons, owls, and potion ingredients. Eyes wide (discluding Senri), they were led into Ollivander's Wand Emporium. Inside was an old man with silver eyes, and hundreds of small boxes piled on top of each other covering the walls.

"Good afternoon Mr. Ollivander*. These four need wands, could you assist in that, please?" M. Ollivander looked over at him.

"Of course, Professor. You, come up here," he pointed to Nana, who stepped forward hesitantly. He wasn't blinking. As he began to measure Nana, Cooro looked at him, grinning.

"I'm Cooro~! That's Nana, and these are Husky and Senri!" Mr. Ollivander looked at him for a moment, then smiled back.

"Very nice to meet you. Now, let's see… Here, try this one. Ten inches, yew, dragon heart string, rather springy. Now, please wave it… No, no…" And he took it away again. Walking away, and coming back with three more.

"Phoenix feather, oak, pliable, seven inches, try-" But she had barely raised her arm when he took it back, and handed her another.

"Maple, unicorn tail, eleven inches, whippy. And- ah…" He smiled as several small birds flew out of the wand and out the window.

"There you are, my dear," he smiled at her surprised and pleased face.

"Now… You, Senri, was it? You next, please." And the process was repeated for them all. Senri ended up with "Oak, dragon heart-string, eleven inches. Nice and supple," after producing a fountain of water. Husky got "Beech-wood and unicorn tail. Nine inches. Nice and flexible," when several yellow butterflies came out of his. Cooro, unlike the others, got his on the first try. He reached into the reject pile and pulled one out. He turned to Mr. Ollivander.

"Can I try this one first? I like it!" Receiving an affirmative, he waved it. A silvery dove flew out the end, like a ghost, before vanishing.

"Ebony and phoenix feather. Nine inches, springy," Mr. Ollivander looked over at him in mild surprise. "I have never met one who already knew his wand. Was there any meaning in the dove?" Cooro looked at him, and smiled, a bit sadly.

"It was just like Blanca. She was a friend of mine, but she's missing…" He sighed, then looked back up.

"But! I bet she's happy wherever she is! She got to fly again!" And, with that, he grinned again. Dumbledore, who had been silent the whole time, stepped forward and paid for the wands, and they exited, with Cooro waving back at him.

"Now, we can just pick up your supplies and head back to the castle. Come along," Dumbledore said, leading them toward Madam Malkin's. Before they got there, however, Nana turned to the Headmaster.

"Um… sir?" He looked down at her curiously. She hesitated, then decided to just get it over with.

"Can we just keep our regular clothes? I made mine, and some of the boys…" She stopped, looking awkward.

"And I like mine! It keeps my arms free when I-" Husky covered his mouth, saying, "Shh!" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Uniforms and robes are mandatory. However, how about a compromise? I will let you wear your clothes under your robes, if you tell me what Cooro was about to say when we get back to the castle." At their faces, he added, "Robes are only required at meals and classes. Otherwise, you may wear what you wish." Husky and Nana looked at each other. _On the one hand, their clothes were made so they wouldn't get in the way of their +Anima. Other clothes could be tricky. On the other, what would the Headmaster do when they told him? Was it normal here? _Husky frowned, but slowly nodded.

"Deal." Albus smiled.

"Excellent! However, you may wish to get a uniform anyway, so your clothes can be washed." Nana had to smile at that.

_It's been a while since they've had a proper wash. Dunked in a lake, sure, but nothing with real soap. _

"Of course! Thank you!" And with that settled, they entered the shop. The robes were already made, and just needed to be fitted. It was a slow day, so this went fairly quickly. Madam Malkin was a nice woman, and didn't find it at all odd that they were buying robes late, with the Headmaster of the school.

"Tut, tut. Already needing new robes? Well, step up here, and we'll get them all straightened out." She asked a few questions on how classes were going, like a favorite aunt might. The children found themselves smiling as they finished the fittings and walked out with their new robes.

"Now, we just need to pick up your books and supplies, then-" Before he could finish, a voice called out.

"Dumbledore!" They all turned to see a man with graying hair and tattered robes walking their way.

"Ah, Remus, hello. How have you been?" Albus looked pleased to see him, so the children eased themselves out of defensive stances they hadn't even noticed they had gone into.

"Fine, fine. Who's this? New students?" The man, Remus, looked at them curiously, particularly Senri, who watched him blankly.

"Late arrivals. We were just picking up supplies. Would you like to accompany us?" Hesitating, Remus looked at the +Anima, then nodded.

"I have to talk to you, privately," he whispered to Albus as they walked toward Flourish and Blotts, not knowing Nana was listening.

"Of course. But I will need you to wait until we get to the castle." Frowning at the lack of information, Nana walked a bit faster to catch up with the others. They arrived at the book store, where the walls were as packed as Ollivander's, only with books, not wands. Dumbledore had ordered the books before-hand, and only had to pick them up. Next stop was the Apothecary, which Senri refused to enter, holding his nose. Remus (whose last name was still a mystery) stayed out with him. Cooro nearly did as well, but Nana dragged him inside, saying she didn't want to be alone with Husky while the Headmaster bought Potion ingredients. Once inside, she said to Husky, "He likes to talk, remember? I don't want Cooro spilling any secrets!" Husky nodded, still scowling. Cooro didn't notice, as he was examining feathers from griffons, phoenixes, and hippogriffs, all in neatly tied bundles. No-one saw him slip a pile of 'Plain crow feathers, 2 knuts a bundle,' under his shirt.

They left the store. After a few more stops, where they got cauldrons, scales, and telescopes, the group walked over to a large fireplace, where there was a short line of people. Dumbledore waved his wand, and their purchases all disappeared. Husky and Nana jumped, and Senri looked around in confusion, but Cooro was deep in a discussion with Remus about flying magical creatures, and didn't notice.

"Your things have been sent ahead to your rooms. I suppose it is too much to hope for that any of you have traveled by Floo Powder?" At their nods, Albus sighed.

"Very well. You take a hand-full, throw it on the fire, and say where you wish to go. In this case, it is 'Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts. Remus, could you go first?" Remus nodded. Pulling out a grey bag, he walked forward to the fireplace. The line had disappeared while they had talked. He reached into the bag, and, taking out a small handful, threw it into the fire. It turned green. He walked in, called 'Headmasters Office, Hogwarts,' and disappeared in a swirl of robes. The children stared in shock.

"Very well, you next, please, Nana." He held out to her a similar bag. She took a handful, careful to leave plenty for the others. Copying Remus' actions, Nana threw it into the fire, and stepped in. Surprised at the warmth, versus the burning she expected, she repeated the phrase, and was gone. Cooro was next. Without even hesitating, he ran in, yelling. Husky and Senri went together, due to Husky not wanting to leave Senri with that expression on his face. Finally, they were all in Dumbledore's office, dusting themselves off.

"Well, then. I believe you four owe me an explanation?" Cooro stepped forward, looking surprisingly sorrowful. He glanced back at the others, and when they all gave him a nod (Husky), smile (Nana), or blank look (Senri), he turned back again. Ignoring Remus, who watched with idle curiosity, he began. As he talked, his face went back to normal.

"I was going to say that they don't get in the way while I'm flying, sir." Albus raised an eyebrow. _They were worried about that?_

"Flying, as in on a broom?" Cooro Looked at him, confused.

"You can do that?! I mean, no. As in, fly like this." With that, he let his wings come out. Both Dumbledore and Remus jumped. Cooro kept them folded in, but they still were impressive, with shiny black feathers gleaming in the dying sunlight.

"Is it a spell gone wrong? Is he a Metamorphmagus, or an Animagus?" Remus asked, leaning in. Cooro shook his head.

"I'm a +Anima." At their blank looks, he continued. "In our homeland, there are people who can partially morph into animals. It's not something you're born with, it happens if you're in danger. And, for the most part, only to children. They can last all your life, or go away." He grinned at them suddenly.

"Actually, I lied. I was born with mine, cause my Mom died before I was born. In her village, the bodies were given to the crows, so they could escort the soul to heaven. I pulled in the crow's anima, and flew right out. Crashed into a church, and was raised there." He fell silent, watching their reactions.

_What if they throw us out because of me? The others will be so mad…_Then he glanced at Remus. _But… He…_

"Are you a +Anima, sir?" Cooro asked, looking at Remus. The others looked in surprise at him.

"You think he's one, Cooro? You sure?" Nana was looking at Remus speculatively, trying to figure out what he'd be. The 'he' under consideration looked at Cooro in bewilderment.

"I'm not, as far as I know. Why would you ask?" Cooro beamed at him.

"I can sense them, and you seem like one. Not exactly, but similar… A wolf!" Ignoring the shock on the adults faces, he pulled in his wings, and turned to the others.

"What's wrong? It's not like-" Before he could finish, Remus turned him around.

"I am a _were-wolf_. Every month, on the full moon, I change. If I don't drink a special potion, I would attack everyone near me, and whoever is bitten by a werewolf is changed into one. Do you realize what that _means_?" Cooro nodded, still smiling. He pulled away.

"It means that you are very good at drinking your potion, or Professor Dumbledore wouldn't trust you! And-" He glanced at Senri, who was fingering his eye-patch. He looked at him and nodded.

"And Senri has the same problem, if he takes off his eye-patch." Husky jumped in at this.

"His Anima is that of the bear. His father had the same. In a fight with the flesh eating bear of the mountain, his father was possessed by his Anima, killed the bear, and would have proceeded to kill Senri, but… Senri killed him first. That was when he got his Anima, and if he takes off the eye-patch, in a fight, he will be possessed in the same way. The flesh-eater will force him to attack everyone he sees." Then Nana jumped in, before they could react.

"But he's not dangerous! Just like you aren't, right?" She asked, looking at Remus. Slowly, as the effects of the story wore off, he nodded.

"So, Senri and Cooro are these… Anima, is that it? Crow, based on the feathers, and bear. Does Senri transform as well?" Dumbledore took it all rather coolly, looking at them all in speculation. Husky nodded, as Senri activated his arm. He held it out for Albus to examine.

"These markings say what they are?" At their nods, he glanced at Husky, while Senri stepped back, going back to normal.

"Is that one on your neck, Husky?" He nodded not even bothering to be surprised.

"I was drowning, so I have a fish anima." Nana decided to just get it over with, before Albus had to ask.

"I had to run away in the dark, and have bat anima." She let her wings sprout, and her ears grew. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean you can hear as well as a bat, as well?" At her affirmation, he grinned.

"Then there is no reason for me to wait further. Albus, I found out how these four got here."

_Oooh! Major cliffy! Good, I was trying to figure out where I could stop. Thanks especially to 99 UNIQUE 99, who is the very first (and only) reviewer. Bye!_


	3. Chapter 3

_If I really owned these stories, I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?_

All four of the Anima stared at Remus as his statement slowly penetrated their minds.

"And? What is it, Remus?" Dumbledore asked, not even bothering to look up. After all, he'd asked Remus to check; why would it shock him?

"Well, it turns out, it was a spell gone awry. If done correctly, it was supposed to open a portal to the land of the dead," he said slowly, as though trying to make the announcement more dramatic.

"A portal? As in, they could raise the dead?" Husky asked, as he was the first to recover. He glanced at Cooro, surprised that he hadn't said anything, and saw he was watching Senri carefully. Senri, for his part, looked thoughtful, but not enough to warrant Cooro's close scrutiny. Nana just stared. Remus looked at them, as though surprised he was asking such a thing.

"It was unclear on what the gateway would do. It may just have been a way to contact the dead, more like a window than a door. However, there is a good chance it was meant to let the dead back to Earth." Albus looked like he was going to say something, but Nana finally recovered.

"Well, that's it, right? It's not like it worked. It led to our world, not to the dead's." The Headmaster shook his head.

"On the contrary, it is a very big problem." At her bewildered look, he continued.

"Your skills are very valuable, and unheard of here. We have Animagi, but they take the complete form of an animal, and are rare. They come from using a spell, and a dangerous one at that. If whoever made that doorway realizes what was on the other side, it could be disastrous." Cooro looked up then.

"But if it was meant as a window…" He didn't finish, as Remus was shaking his head.

"It closed as soon as you came through?" A nod. "That would be a safety precaution, so that nothing else could enter. Your friends jumped before it could close, and it was a near thing." They nodded. None of them had realized how close they had come to being separated. Cooro looked at them.

"Are you going to turn us in?" This threw both of the adults for a loop, though the others seemed to expect it.

"Why on Earth would we?" Husky raised an eyebrow.

"We're an undiscovered species, from another world. You just said we could be incredibly useful. Even in _our _world, it happens all the time." At this last, he spared Cooro a very small, discreet, glance, though Remus caught it. As he pondered what that could mean, Dumbledore answered.

"We will not. Many think Remus here should be locked up, for what he is. Should we do it, just because some _say _we should? No, you four will remain at Hogwarts as long as you wish it. Meanwhile, Remus, will you continue looking into this?" He glanced at Remus, who nodded. "Very well. I will try and find a way back to your home. And… it is getting late. Head down to dinner, I will join you in a moment." As they left, he added another note.

"Do not repeat anything we have discussed inside this room to anyone, understand? Especially not your origins or powers. I may not turn you in, but others might." They left. Before they got to the end of the hall, Cooro turned and pulled them all into a group hug.

"We can stay! We can stay!" He was grinning like it was his birthday, Christmas, and Halloween all put together. It was infectious, and by the time they entered the Great Hall, all were laughing and smiling. It was early, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were there. The latter was studying, the former two pretending to do so.

"So how was the visit to Hagrid's?" Nana asked as they sat down. More people were trickling inside, though dinner wouldn't be served for another few minutes.

"Hm? Oh! It was nice, though the rock cakes are a bit hard." Harry held one out.

"Want one?" Senri reached around her, grabbed it, and ate it, all without a change of expression. Ron stared.

"I thought Cooro was the only one who did that!" Dinner was served, and they all dug in.

"How was Diagon Alley? Got everything you need?" Hermione asked, setting aside her book in favor of a roast chicken. The others agreed, telling of getting wands, robes, and books, but leaving out the clothes agreement, Remus, and the entire meeting in the Headmaster's Office. As they compared wands, Husky glanced at Cooro, and saw he was not eating nearly as much as usual. He didn't comment, deciding to wait.

"Who was it who took you, anyway?" Ron queried, piling potatoes onto his plate.

"The Headmaster." Silence. Nana looked up to see the others looking in shock. Cooro chuckled a bit.

"What? He said he was the only teacher available. The others had classes." Now the others nodded, and laughed a bit sheepishly. As the conversation turned to classes, and whether the Anima could keep up now, Senri glanced around. He also noticed Cooro's lack of appetite, but also didn't comment. Snape, he noticed, was watching their little group, with a mixture of annoyance and confusion, with a bit of curiosity as well. He saw Senri looking, and turned to talk with Flitwick.

They all finished diner, and left for the Common Room. The Anima helped the others as well as they could with the homework, and Cooro displayed an unexpected talent for remembering magical theory. When they were finished, all seven decided to go to sleep instead of waiting to see what prank had the twins looking so pleased.

When the boys got to their room, Husky turned to Cooro. Cooro, who had been looking to see if everything they had bought was there, looked up, surprised.

"What?" Senri looked up as well.

"Are you okay? You barely ate anything at dinner," Husky said, watching him closely. Cooro looked down, then up again, puzzled.

"I… I'm just not that hungry." Senri opened his book, and pulled out a feather, felt its sides, then put it back carefully. Husky watched Cooro a moment longer, then sighed and walked to his bed. While they were buying clothes, Nana had also gotten Albus to buy pajamas, though the boys hadn't been close enough to hear how it went down. They pulled them on now, and went to sleep.

In the girl's dormitory, Nana and Hermione were still awake, practicing wand movement and spell pronunciation. Their room mates weren't back yet, and Nana was glad for it. They hadn't stopped talking about 'the cute new boys' since the first day, when the Anima had been pulled back to talk with Professor McGonagall. Thankfully, they hadn't asked Nana anything yet.

"Here; more like _this," _Hermione said, gesturing. Nana copied her.

"Well, that's all we can really do in here, I don't want to ruin anything if it goes wrong." Nana nodded, and they both went to sleep.

The next morning, they went out and Cooro introduced them to a game called Hide-And-Seek. Harry and Hermione got it just fine, Harry from experience, but Ron had difficulties understanding.

"Look; you hide, and I try and find you. The last one hidden wins, and first one found is It. Got it?" Nana looked like she would die laughing as Cooro explained it yet again. Finally, however, everyone was acquainted, and the game was on. Cooro was It first, as it was his idea. Ron was first to be found, as he had followed Harry, but hadn't fit. Harry was next, as he burst out laughing at Ron's expression at being first. He nearly fell out of the tree he had hidden in. Hermione and Nana were next, both concealed in different bushes. Senri came next, having found a dry place in the reeds near the banks of the lake. Finally, only Husky remained. Cooro glanced at the reeds again, then over to where they ended, well into the lake, and partially hidden by the branches of a willow.

"Husky! Where are you? You won!" Cooro yelled, running through the reeds toward the lake. He reached open water, still hidden, and glanced down. It was surprisingly deep, and as he watched the surface, Husky popped out, dripping wet and grinning.

"Never said it was against the rules, did ya?" Cooro stared for a moment, then laughed.

"Nope, and I can't, cause we can't say anything about it. Come on, let's go." He pulled Husky clear, and they walked back, still chortling. The others watched, astonished, when they emerged. Nana's eyes narrowed, and Senri grinned.

"He dunked in the lake! No wonder we couldn't find him!" Harry laughed out, looking at his dripping attire. After hesitating a moment, they both nodded, and the rest joined in laughing, though Nana still gave Husky an annoyed look.

"So, who's It?" Husky glanced around at them.

"Ron." And so the game went on. It turns out, Cooro was very good at hiding, and always in high places, though not high enough to attract attention. When lunch rolled around, they were all exhausted and laughing. As they walked inside, they passed Malfoy, who sniffed at them.

"It is saddening that even Purebloods are lowering themselves to play Muggle games," he sneered, looking at them all with disdain. Cooro turned to him.

"You've never played any game, have you, Malfoy? It's a shame that you had no friends to play with." The others looked at him with amazement, and confusion.

_Was that an insult, or does he pity him? _Malfoy looked at him similarly.

"I played the noble wizard sport. Quidditch. Unlike you, _my _parents could buy me my own broom." He clearly expected them to be impressed, but instead, Cooro inquired of him:

"Yeah, you say that a lot. But I've never heard you say anything about playing with anyone. Were you always alone?" Before he could respond, Cooro turned to the others.

"Come on! There's _food~!" _And singing to himself, he led the way to the Great Hall, leaving Malfoy standing there, with an odd look on his face.

At lunch, Ron turned to Cooro, whose appetite seemed to have returned.

"What did you mean by that? Do you feel _sorry _for him?" Cooro turned, holding a sandwich.

"I do. He grew up with great things, and is all alone. I grew up with next to nothing, and look at all the friends I have! Yes, I feel sorry for him, even if you don't think he deserves it." He turned to his food, and the topic didn't come up again. After lunch they went back outside, though this time they went over the notes of the past week, trying to get the Anima ready for classes on Monday. Then dinner, and finally up to the Common Room, where, after a few games of Exploding Snap, they went to sleep. Before they went up, Nana pulled Husky aside.

"_What_ did you think you were doing today? We're supposed to be lying low, and here you are, showing off your gills-" He cut her off.

"Have you noticed that Cooro's not eating much lately?" Surprised, she shook her head.

"I think it's because he's not using his Anima as much as usual. He said once he ate so much because flying uses a lot of energy. I needed to give him the idea so he'd fly a bit and use some energy. No-one noticed, so what's the problem?" He looked at her as she blushed. Husky began to walk away.

"Sorry." He turned around.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for that. I should have known you had a good reason" He had to grin; she looked so downcast, it was funny!

"It's nothing. Now come on." Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the stairs, not noticing the bright blush on her cheeks. They parted ways, and went to bed. When Husky got upstairs, the other two were already asleep. It had gotten late while they played cards. He went to sleep.

Next day was spent mostly the same way, playing Capture the Flag in the morning, and studying after lunch. They passed Malfoy again, but he said nothing. Cooro glimpsed the Headmaster grinning at them through a first-story window as they played, and he grinned back.

Monday morning dawned bright and early. They met in the Common Room, robes and bags ready, when Senri noticed a poster on the notice board. Walking over, they saw it was a notice that flying lessons would be held on Thursday. They would be with Slytherin. Harry groaned.

"Just what I needed, to make a fool of myself in front of Malfoy on a broom." Cooro, who had been asking Ron about the game, turned around.

"You won't make a fool of yourself. I bet he can't fly half as well as he says," he declared, shocking them all.

"I thought you felt bad for him." Hermione commented, stating what they all were thinking.

"I do. Doesn't mean he can fly well." After breakfast, they all went to Transfiguration. They were still working on changing the matches into needles. Cooro and Husky got it in four tries, Senri in five, and Nana only took three. McGonagall called them up to her desk. Looking at their faces, she smiled slightly.

"You're not in trouble. I only wished to say how impressed I am by your progress. I saw you practicing over the weekend, and I am very pleased by your resolve." They all grinned happily, and hoped the other classes went as well.

No other classes were practicing magic, in Charms they were still studying. So the only practice they had was in McGonagall's class, and steadily improved.

At breakfast on Thursday, Hermione read out of a Quidditch book, trying to learn all she could, hoping it would help her fly better. Neville was the only one who listened. The others were a mix of calm and anxious. Husky was worried, as he hated flying. Nana and Cooro weren't worried. Even if they were horrible at this, they had wings. And Senri wasn't interested. He'd noticed Snape watching them again, and was concentrating on staring at him with all his might. He looked up, winced , and looked away.

Mail arrived, and a package arrived for Neville, breaking off Hermione's lecture. Neville opened it excitedly, and pulled out a glass ball filled with white smoke.

"It's a Remembral! Gran knows I forget things- this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red- oh…" The smoke inside had gone scarlet. "… you've forgotten something…" As he struggled to figure out what he's forgotten, Malfoy walked by and pulled it out of Neville's hand. Harry and Ron jumped up, ready to fight. Husky looked up calmly.

"Need to steal things from a Gryffindor now, Malfoy?" He didn't have time to comment as McGonagall walked up.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembral, Professor." Malfoy scowled, obviously annoyed with this turn of events.

"Just looking," he said, and stalked off, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"I wonder if they're connected to him by invisible ropes. They follow him everywhere." Cooro said to himself, watching them go. They laughed, and the morning continued on a discussion on various magical bindings, with Hermione joining in with real spells and charms that could work.

That afternoon, they all trooped down to the Quidditch field. Cooro looked up and grinned.

"Excellent. Great flying weather." Ron looked at him speculatively.

"I thought you said you've never played Quidditch," he said. The other Anima looked at each other.

_What is he going to say?_ Unperturbed, Cooro smiled.

"I like birds. They seem to fly better on days like this." Ron seemed to accept this, and the Anima breathed a sigh of relief. The Slytherins were already there, standing by several brooms. Husky eyed them with distrust, having heard the twins say that the school brooms were old and faulty. Abruptly, he wished he could just let Cooro carry him. On that thought, he looked over at Cooro, who watched the brooms with disdain.

_What is he going to do? Nana doesn't like using her Anima, but Cooro loves it! What if he gives us away?_ He glanced at Nana, but she was trying to calm Hermione and Neville, both of whom were deathly afraid of this. Sighing, he just hoped for the best.

Madam Hooch, their teacher, walked up.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Everyone scrambled to do so. Cooro looked at his broom, which was old and looked like it couldn't support its own weight, let alone him.

"Stick out your right hand over the broom and say 'Up!'" Everyone chorused:

"UP!" Cooro's shot up, as did Harry's and Nana's. Hermione's rolled over, Husky's shot forward three inches, and Neville's didn't move at all. Cooro's thought was that people who were comfortable flying got theirs right away, and those nervous didn't. Madam Hooch went around, telling people how to sit on it properly, and the group was delighted to hear Malfoy had been doing it incorrectly for years.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle-three-two-" Before she reached one, Neville kicked, and shot up like a rocket. Nana and Husky looked at each other worriedly, then at Cooro. He was watching Neville with growing panic, and through his sleeves, a faint glow was visible from his markings.

"Come back, boy!" Madam Hooch yelled, unaware of what was happening behind her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, all saw the glow, and were puzzled. Neville began to slip.

"NEVILLE!" There was a sound of ripping fabric.

"COORO! NO, DON'T-" But it was too late. With a cry, he jumped into the air, wings spreading black against the sky. His robes fell behind him, torn where his wings had torn through. Gasps were heard as he flapped up, grasping Neville just as he fell off. Flapping as hard as he could, Cooro tried to lower them both to the ground. But while he could hold Husky without a problem, Neville was a good deal heavier, and it was all he could do to hold them up. Underneath him, the students were whispering in shock.

"Is it a spell?"

"No, stupid, he's an Animagus!"

"You're _both _wrong, he's an angel of death in disguise!"

"If that's so, why is he saving Neville?" And on and on. Cooro looked down at them for help. Nana saw him look at her, pleadingly, though he said nothing. He wouldn't ask, she knew. Madam Hooch looked around, feeling helpless. The winged boy couldn't hold them both up, but could she get them on a broom? Before she came to a decision, Nana tossed off her robes as well, and launched herself up to meet them, her bat wings flapping. More gasps of astonishment followed at this, and Husky sighed.

_There's our cover blown._ Together, the two winged Anima lowered the sobbing Neville safely to the ground. Almost. At a few feet up, Neville tried to set himself on the ground, and fell on his wrist. Cooro lunged, trying to catch him, but they were too close. They landed, just as Madam Hooch got to Neville. Examining him, she sighed.

"Broken wrist. Could have been worse, I suppose. Right, you two-" she pointed to Cooro and Nana, who had retrieved their robes, and were standing there, sheepish. "Come with me. Mr. Longbottom needs to go to the Hospital Wing, and you are to come with me to the Headmaster's Office. As for the rest of you, if there is a single broom in the air, the one riding it will be out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'. Understand? Good." They walked off, leaving a very confused group of students.

"Knew they were freaks. Oh! Lookie what the lump dropped." All heads looked at Malfoy as he scooped up the Remembral.

"Give that here, Malfoy," Harry said quietly. Any other conversation ended abruptly.

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find- how about- up a tree?"

"Give it _here!_" But Malfoy had already jumped onto his broom. Despite his bad grip, he really _could _fly well. He flew above a tree, and, hovering there, he called back down, "Come and get me, Potter!"

Without thinking, Harry grabbed his broom and mounted, ignoring Hermione, who was yelling, "_Don't_, we'll all get in trouble! _Don't do it, Harry!"_

"We can't really get in more trouble than we are in already, you know. Might as well show up that git," Husky commented coolly. Several people laughed.

Harry shot up, feeling great. Screams, gasps, and a cheer from Ron sounded below him as he went higher. Wondering if this was how Cooro and Nana felt when they flew, he turned to face Malfoy, who looked shocked.

"Give it here, or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Oh, yeah?" Malfoy called back, looking nervous. Harry shot forward, and would have fulfilled his promise if Malfoy hadn't dodged just in time. He pulled sharply around, and a few people clapped.

"No Crabbe and Goyle to save you up here, Malfoy!" Thinking along the same lines, Malfoy yelled at him, "Catch it if you can, then!" And chucked the small ball as hard as he could. Harry was on it like a shot. A few feet from the ground, he managed to snatch it right out of the air. Toppling onto the grass, his grin was quickly replaced by a shout.

"HARRY POTTER!" Professor McGonagall was racing at him.

"_Never_- in all my time at Hogwarts-how _dare_ you- might have broken your neck-" Several people protested, saying it was Malfoy. Even Hermione joined in, but McGonagall dismissed it all with a wave of her hand. As she led Harry away, he saw Malfoy and his cronies laughing silently. They left, and Husky looked at their remaining friends.

"Anyone for a game of tag?"

With Nana and Cooro, Madam Hooch was deadly silent. After a brief explanation with Madam Pomfrey, leaving out flying twelve-year-olds, they had left, walking toward Dumbledore's Office. They passed Harry and McGonagall on the way, and the teachers conferred briefly. Cooro wondered what had happened, but couldn't break the silence to ask Nana if she had heard. They were still silent when they came to the door. Knocking, Madam Hooch opened it, revealing Albus sitting at his desk, looking over an old book. He looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Rolanda?" Cooro looked up at him, beseechingly. Nana just sighed.

"I know you said not to attract attention to them, but both of these," she gestured at the children, "these _Anima_ just sprouted wings and flew around in front of the whole class." Nana looked surprised.

_He told the staff?_ Dumbledore sighed.

"I do hope you two have a good reason to have done so?" Cooro jumped forward, anxious.

"We did! Neville flew too high, and he was falling! So I went to help him, however, he was too heavy, so Nana jumped up to help me. But he slipped and broke his wrist, so I guess we didn't do much good…" And he fell silent, falling back behind Nana. She, however, glared at him.

"We need to fly! Cooro's not eating _nearly_ enough, and I can't sleep anymore, I've got too much excess energy. We were made to fly, especially Cooro. He's been flying since the day he was born, he_ can't_ just stop!" She paused, then drew a deep breath and continued.

"If you won't let us take to the air, even for our own protection, then we'll have to leave, sir." Cooro watched her, surprised at the outburst.

_She noticed I wasn't eating, too?_ Dumbledore looked a bit surprised.

"If you are having troubles, you should tell me. If you need to fly, or if any of you need to use your Anima, please do so. Now, I believe you have flying lessons to get back to?" They nodded. He smiled.

"Then hop to it. Rolanda, I'm sorry this had to interrupt your class." She sighed.

"It was nothing, Professor. Would've happened one way or another. At least Mr. Longbottom will live to talk about it." With a nod, they left, to find half of the class running around the lawns chasing each other, and the other half watching, some disdainfully, some jealously. As they walked up, a few more students (they were Slytherins) stood up and hesitantly joined to chase. The others let them in without hesitation. Madam Hooch stopped them a good ways away.

"You two are be witnessing a historic moment. Gryffindors and Slytherins, getting along." They stood for a while longer, and more students joined. When the three of them finally joined the rest, only a handful were still sitting. All stopped as they approached. Madam Hoch called out to them all.

"Seeing as you've missed so much of the class, I see no reason to continue. Keep on playing, we'll continue next week." Then, shocking everyone, she walked over to Husky, who was obviously in charge of the game, and asked how to play. When he asked why, she said that she wished to play. Cooro asked who was It, and the person next to him, a Nancy Rupel (Slytherin), said "Me!" and tagged him. Laughing, he ran after some nearby Gryffindors, and the game was on. Cooro, still not wearing his robes, pulled out his wings, but kept close to the ground, and closer still if someone was after him. He was It several times, and ran on the ground when it was so. Nana didn't use hers at all.

The game continued for a while longer, until the dinner bells rang. When they heard it, several people groaned. Cooro grinned at Husky, mouthing 'Good idea!' Husky grinned back.

"If you want to play again, we'll be out on the grounds during the weekend!" Some people cheered, but Parvati Patil was skeptical.

"What about homework?" Hermione answered her, shocking a few, as she didn't seem the type to play.

"We work on homework in the afternoon, right after lunch. It'll be like a study group!" They began walking back to the castle, and both Slytherin and Gryffindors were talking together like it was the most natural thing in the world, discussing when and where they'd meet later. Madam Hooch walked behind them, watching as the two houses, that had been enemies for centuries, came together. And all due to a few Anima, and a Muggle game.

As she gazed at them, Cooro flew up into the sky, whooping and soaring. Several people yelled up at him, asking for rides, and he complied, pulling them up for a few moments, then setting down again.

When they reached the Great Hall, many heads turned as they walked in, and a few went to the other houses tables, still talking. The older students were in shock, and not a few teachers, either. Dumbledore beamed. Other students, mostly first years, began to cross the hall as well, sitting by class mates and discussing Quidditch, school work, or their families. Very few Slytherins ventured from their table, though the Weasley twins sat on either side of Marcus Flint, throwing their arms round his back, and loudly discussed the upcoming matches between their teams, ignoring his bewildered stare. Lee Jordan joined them, sitting by a pretty Ravenclaw girl talking to three others about Chess Club.

When Harry came in, to tell them he'd been put on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Seeker, he looked around in surprise. Had the tables been moved? Then he saw Cooro's grin. He walked up, next to Nancy and Ron.

"What did you do, Cooro? And what was with the wing thing earlier, you two?" Cooro beamed.

"Wasn't me. Husky got the others to play a game while we were gone. Look how well it turned out! As for the wings…" He went over the basics of Anima, leaving out the life stories.

"So, what did McGonagall want? Ron filled us in." Harry grinned at them all.

"Apparently, instead of being punished, I'm being put on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Seeker." There were cheers at this, and not just from the Gryffindors. Nancy was especially loud, smiling broadly.

"Congrats! Can't wait to see you play!"

"But first years _never_ make the house team!"

"Youngest in, what, a century?" The conversation went to the game and studying planned for the weekend, and Harry was surprised to find that most of the first years would end up showing up, as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had heard, and wanted in. Not a few elder students were planning on coming, as well. More students came over, including some of Nancy's friends. They continued to talk, not noticing they were being watched.

At the Teacher's table, the conversion was being observed with mild to intense shock. Dumbledore looked over at McGonagall.

"This is the most united the school has ever been," he commented, beaming.

"And all due to four students and a silly game. History in the making. I've never seen the likes of it in my life!" Dumbledore looked back over them again.

"Yes. History. Now, I heard there was a new addition to the Quidditch team?"

_Whew! That was a fun chapter to write! I didn't get very far in the story line, though… Anyway, if anyone has any ideas on pairings for Cooro, please tell me! I'm vaguely planning on the OC, Nancy, but if you've got any better ideas, please tell! See yah! _


	4. Chapter 4

_O.K. Just in case any lawyers are bored enough to surf this site, looking for law breakers, I do not own anything recognizable from Harry Potter or +Anima. They belong to their respective owners. Anything you don't recognize as canon is mine._

_Possible OOC in some minor characters._

_Thank you for waiting. Now, on with the story!_

The Anima were half-dragged over to the Slytherin table by Nancy and her friends, Sarah and Nick. As they sat, the people around them shifted ranks, some moving closer, and many scooting further away. A few didn't move, but regarded the Gryffindors with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. They all ignored this, and continued talking about tomorrow's classes. No-one there saw Malfoy walk over to the Gryffindor table, though it was barely recognizable as that, so many others were there.

Finally, the food was all finished, and bells were chiming, calling all students to bed.

Sighing with regret, they parted, promising to meet at breakfast. The four of them walked to the Common Room, where several people cornered them.

"When are we meeting on Saturday?"

"Are we going to play… tag again or something else?"

"Is it _really _a Muggle game?" Husky turned to face this last person, a fifth year boy with curly brown hair. Cooro and Nana answered the others.

"Yes. Why, is that a problem?" he asked, feeling defensive. The boy looked at face and laughed.

"No, no! Of course not! It's just; the Muggle Studies teacher is having us do a report on Muggle games. So…" He stopped, looking awkward. Cooro turned and beamed.

"You wanna come? If you do, feel free! It's not a club or anything, we're just playing!" The boy smiled in response.

Later that night, after Fred and George congratulating them for managing to get the Slytherins to admit Muggles weren't scum, they all went to bed. Nana found Hermione fuming in the dormitories.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" She turned to her, a scowl on her face.

"Those dumb boys are going to do something stupid, that's what!" That was all she would say of it, so Nana shrugged and went to sleep. Later, she was awoken by the sounds of someone creeping through the room. Sitting up, she saw it was Hermione, pulling on a dressing robe and walking out. Quickly dressing, Nana followed. When they reached the Common Room, Hermione turned in surprise as Nana enquired, "You're going to tell me what's going on now, right?" Hermione blushed.

"Malfoy challenged them to a duel, and Harry and Ron accepted. They _can't _be out this late, or we'll lose _so_ many points!" Nana giggled.

"Then we'll wait together!" She plopped down next to Hermione, but jumped up again.

"What is it?" Hermione looked at her in confusion as her face went from shock to bewilderment to amusement.

"Cooro just jumped out the window to the dormitories. He wanted to fly around. And... He's calling for me to come out." Nana looked over at her. Hermione sighed.

"Can you get him back inside? I'll have my hands full with those two," she asked beseechingly. Nana nodded, and, walking over to a window, leaped out, wings growing out as she went. Hermione went to the window, watching the two black-winged Anima fly for a moment, then walked to her chair and sat down to wait.

Nana smiled as the night air washed over her. Nothing was as nice as this. Cooro flew over, laughing.

"You came! You came!" he cheered, waving his arms around. Nana stuck out her tongue.

"_You're _acting like I wouldn't have! But, we need to get inside before someone sees us. Technically, we are out of bounds, no-one's supposed to be outside the Common Rooms after ten. Come on, we'll fly later!" Nana grabbed his arm, trying to pull him inside.

"A few more minutes, please?" Cooro had mastered the puppy-dog look, and Nana was not immune.

"Fine. But only a few minutes, okay? And be _careful, _we can't be seen!" She wasn't sure he heard, as he flew toward the towers with a whoop. She followed, listening for anyone around. Nothing, however, she did hear Hermione arguing with Harry and Ron in the Common Room. Hoping she could handle it, Nana caught up with Cooro, who was sitting on the top of the Astronomy Tower, waiting for her. She gestured toward Gryffindor Tower.

"Time to go, we can fly later." He sighed but didn't argue. They flew to their windows, entered and were asleep within a few moments.

Next morning, Nancy met them all in front of the doors, along with Padma Patil and Ernie MacMillon, both looking a bit uncomfortable with the Slytherin, but still making conversation. Sitting down at the Ravenclaw table, they were joined by Hannah Abbott and Justin Flinch-Fletchy. When it was time for class, the Ravenclaws came with them, and they all sat together. Hermione sat by Nana, as far as she could be from Ron and Harry. Neville looked like he had had a horrible night. Cooro went straight over to him.

"Neville! Are you okay? I'm so sorry you fell!" Neville, for his part, looked startled.

"I- I'm fine. Thanks for catching me yesterday. Um… Is it true you're an Anima? Someone said so at breakfast… What is that?" Cooro was beaming as he explained. McGonagall walked in. She looked over them all, not even vaguely surprised that they were so mixed. The class began, and when it came time to practice, she called Cooro up to her desk.

"I understand that you have permission to fly as you need to, but please refrain from doing so at night. Mr. Filch heard you yelling, and I do not want you disturbing the other students. Understood?" He nodded, thankful that Nana hadn't been noticed.

"Now, I heard about your study group, and I ask that if you are going to be practicing your spells, please ask a teacher. Spells aren't generally allowed on the grounds, but your group appears too large to use any classrooms," she was almost smiling at this. He nodded again, and she sent him to his seat, where Husky already had his match ready for him.

Charms was spent with finally trying out a spell, one to make the color of something change. They were given blue plates, and told to turn them red. Cooro's turned purple, Husky managed to make his green, with no idea how, and the others got varying degrees of success. Hermione's turned scarlet at her third attempt, Harry's had a red splotch shaped like a lion in the center, and Ron's was mutated into a large mushroom. Neville's didn't change. Flitwick told them to practice over the weekend, and they were dismissed.

Lunch was a mixed affair, with several other students walking back and forth between the tables, with the teachers observing. Nancy and the other Slytherin first years who had joined in the games yesterday joined the Gryffindors on the way to the dungeons, talking loudly even when the rest of the class entered a moment later. Malfoy looked very annoyed, especially when Pansy Parkinson walked over to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.

"Um… can I sit here?" They looked up, surprised, but quickly moved over to give her room, and pulled her into the conversation. Snape walked in, and the room went silent. He looked them over, a bit startled that the Slytherins were sitting with the Gryffindors like they'd been friends for years. He quickly got them started on a potion to cure colds, and the talking resumed. When class was over, the Potions Master was once again astounded. The potions were the best a first-year class had ever been able to come up with. Nana and Hermione's were perfect, Hermione's because she was, well, Hermione, and Nana due to her cooking skills. Senri had made something completely different from the assignment, as had Cooro. Senri, it turned out, had run out of armadillo bile without enough time to get more, so had improvised with cobra venom. Snape took a sample to see if it would do any good. Cooro's, instead of being a thick muddy potion, was a watery green. The Potions Master raised an eyebrow.

"What is this supposed to be?" Cooro looked at his creation, then glanced at his friends. Husky's eyes were narrowed, and Nana mouthed "You didn't!" The rest looked confused. He grinned up at the teacher.

"It's my own recipe. I wouldn't drink it if I were you." Snape gave the Potion another look.

"And what does it do? Did you even attempt the assignment?" Cooro's smile, if it was possible, grew.

"Nope!" Everyone in the vicinity sweat-dropped.

"No points for the day. Now, dispose of this." He walked away, and didn't see him pour the entire potion into a large flask and hide it in his bag. Harry noticed, though, and wondered about it as they were released and sent to dinner. They walked with most of the Slytherins and Gryffindors, and it was too loud to talk privately. They split into smaller groups as they sat. He was going to ask as Cooro and Senri both dug into the pork chops, but Ron got there first.

"What was that potion you made?" Cooro looked up.

"Just a pick-me-up for when I fly too high, where the air's thin. Only works for me, though…"

"Why does that potion only work for you, anyway?" Harry slipped in, hiding his curiosity as he looked at his dinner.

"Has crow feathers as a focus in it. Probably would work for other crows, but I don't know of any here, so that's that." Accepting this, the rest of dinner was spent in discussion of tomorrow's plans. The Slytherins went to their table half-way through, and talked with a sixth year girl that looked like she would as soon kill you as look at you. Harry and Ron looked worried, but Cooro said brightly, "She looks nice!" No-one commented.

They went to the dorms, and Husky turned to Cooro. Nana had followed them to their room, and sat on an un-occupied bed.

"Did you _have _to make that in class? You lost the points for the whole day!" Cooro looked perplexed.

"But you don't like the smell. Where was I supposed to make it?" This threw Husky for a moment. Nana giggled.

"Don't worry, Cooro. Just be more careful next time. What if he had tried it? You said it was only for crows, what if it poisoned him? Or…" Here she giggled again.

"What if he changed into a crow?" Cooro joined in the laughs, and Senri smiled. Husky began to grin, and finally they were all hooting with the picture of their teacher flapping around the dungeons. Harry poked his head in, did a double-take at Nana sitting there, and fell in, with Ron following him. They both looked up sheepishly as they were abruptly silent.

"Um… Yes?" Surprisingly, this was from Senri. They looked at him in shock, then back to the boys.

"We were wondering what was so funny. We could hear you from our room." Husky grinned a bit at that. The walls were thick here, they must have been _very _loud. Or Harry and Ron had been eavesdropping. Hmm….

"We were discussing what could have happened if Snape drank the potion. Nana suggested he might turn into a crow." The two intruders laughed a bit at the image. After a few awkward seconds in silence, they left, followed by Nana. Anticipating the day ahead, they all went to sleep, and were out within seconds.

Next day dawned bright and early. Cooro and Senri woke with the Sun, and Cooro wasted no time waking Husky in the most efficient way possible: Jump on him and yell loudly. This had everyone else in the Common Room and on the way up the stairs when they came out, Cooro sporting a round bump on his head and pouting. Nana shook her head at them, while the others looked at them, confused. No explanation was offered, leaving the three of them to figure it out themselves. At breakfast, many people came to greet them, asking about the game later. Husky got a bit impatient as they were continually blocked from eating.

_It's only a game! I'm hungry, dang-it! _Finally, they sat down and ate, quickly so they could get it all down before someone else came to the table. A large group waited outside for them. After talking with several kids, Husky quickly explained Kick-The Can (Potion Bottle), with Cooro jumping in now and then, and the game was on. There were several mishaps, including a sixth year summoning the can and a third year hiding too close to the Whomping Willow, but all went exceptionally well. The Muggle Studies class showed up, taking notes, but only the Gryffindor boy from the day before and the teacher actually joined in, the rest preferring g to sit in the shade. It was hot. \

Lunch rolled in, and the Great Hall was packed with the sweaty students. After many fetched their homework, they all trooped back out, this time sitting under the trees or by the castle, working together on assignments that had seemed to long to tackle alone, but were easy in the group. The older students helped as well, suggesting books for reference and different ways of trying the spells to make them easier. Fred and George volunteered to run inside and ask permission to use spells, and a few moments later, Filch's yelling was heard. Cooro ran up to see what had happened, and fell over laughing at what he saw. There were the twins, conjuring up whatever came to mind in the Entrance Hall. They were illusions, but Filch didn't seem to know that, and was running around trying to chase them out. As Husky and Senri ran up, followed by Nana and Harry, several of the 'creatures' ran out the doors. A dozen crows flew at Cooro, who was still in the air, and he chased them around a the towers. Husky went over to the twins, and spoke to George.

"If you get in trouble, we _all _get in trouble." George grinned, and Fred answered.

"Not a chance. The note says we have permission to practice any spells from class. This is what we're working on in Charms. Besides, it doesn't specify where we have to practice. Here you go," he said, and handed him a piece of parchment.

_I, Minerva McGonagall, hereby give permission to any students within the study group to practice any spells pertaining to classes for the weekend._ She seems to be vague on purpose, Husky thought as he pocketed the sheet and walked back to the others. Fred waved his wand, and a griffon sprouted from it, flying up the stairs. Filch ran after it, still shouting. Many other students had come up to see what the commotion was, and most were laughing. Somehow, Filch never came to give Fred and George detention, though Snape did show up.

"What do you think you're doing? Magic is forbidden on the grounds." He looked at the varied students, picking out several Slytherins among them, working with classmates. Cooro was the closest to him.

"We have a note from Professor McGonagall, sir," He said, and held it out. The Potions Master examined it closely, as if trying to see if it was a forgery. But eventually, he handed it back without a word and left. The Professor in question, McGonagall, did come, looking over them. The students continued working, though a bit nervously. She walked out amongst them, and helped a bit, more like the older students than a teacher. When she reached the twins, both looked up from the Ravenclaw second year having trouble with changing a button.

"Nice illusions, but the wand work could use some improvement. Keep practicing." And she walked back to where Cooro and Husky were working with Nancy and Nick on History of Magic homework.

"Congratulations, you are the first to have all four houses in a study group without cursing," was all she said before walking off. Cooro grinned, and Husky shrugged, both turning back to the others.

"Who was that seventh year you were talking with yesterday? The others looked scared." Nancy looked up at Husky's question, then looked to see if anyone was close enough to hear. Nana could, and probably would, but she didn't know that, and began to speak.

"Some older students threatened us, saying we'd get hurt if we hung out with you guys. She came up and said if any of us were hurt or threatened us again, they'd answer to her. She looks scary, but she's really nice! The same thing happened to her in her second year, so she doesn't like the others getting away with it." Nick shook his head.

"It's nothing. Now, who won the battle?" And the studying went on. Eventually, it became too dark to see, and they went in for dinner. Snape glared at them. At least, he tried. It's hard to glare when most of them are staring at you, especially Senri. He never seemed to blink. McGonagall smiled at Cooro and the others as they walked in, all carrying some form of schoolwork, most of which was finished.

Dinner itself passed quickly, but most of the students lingered at the tables, talking and laughing, more united than they had been since the Founders had created the oddly-named school. Finally, Dumbledore stood up.

"As much as I regret it, it is time for bed. You all have ten minutes before lights out, I am afraid." Pandemonium broke out as they all scrambled to say goodnight, grab their things, and leave. When they were safe in their dorms, Cooro and Nana both jumped out their windows, ignoring their friends warnings to stay inside. Nana, for her part, was also ignoring the shrieks of her room-mates, the ones who were crushing on her friends. They met on the top of the tower, and without any words, they both flew toward the forest, joining with the night creatures in the air. They stayed out longer than before, never saying a word, until Nana gestured toward the castle, and they both left. Neither noticed they were being watched the entire time.

_Sorry it's shorter than usual, but this is where I wanted it to end, regardless. So… yeah._


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sorry this took so long! I was busy, but I should have at least __**tried…**__ Anyway, I don't own anything that is recognizable, blah, blah, blah. Here's the next chapter!_

The next morning, Harry and Ron woke up to someone yelling.

"Give it back!" Both sat up, looking at each other. Neville was still asleep, and their other roommates were on their way out the door, looking down the hall as they left. Quickly, the two of them dressed and left, following the sounds. They ended up at the foot of the girl's staircase, where Cooro, Husky, and Senri were standing, looking worried. They turned as Harry spoke.

"What's going on? We heard yelling…" Husky sighed, looking at the stairs again before answering.

"That's Nana. We don't know what it is, but no-one's seen Hermione or their room mates, either." Cooro finally declared, "I'm going up!" Fred, who had come up while they had been standing there, glanced at him.

"You can't. The stairs are enchanted so boys can't go up." Cooro ignored him, and began to walk up. At the fourth stair or so, they turned into a slide. Several gasps came from the bottom as he began to slide.

He jumped into the air, grabbing the wall. They were made of large blocks of stone, and had gaps and bulges to hold onto. He continued up the walls as more yells came down.

"No! Now give it to me!" It was Nana. Percy came over.

"What on _Earth _are you doing? Get down here this instant, Cooro! Get to breakfast!" This last was directed to the crowd forming around the stairs. No-one listened, and continued to watch as Cooro neared the top. Percy looked at them all, then sighed. He began to climb the stairs. As he stepped forward, they changed back, one at a time. At the top, Cooro was still on the walls. When Percy was about halfway up, he reached the top, jumping onto the floor and running out of sight. When he was gone, the stairs reverted back to normal, and Percy ran after him. Slowly the crowd dispersed, leaving only the Anima and Ron standing there.

Cooro ran through the corridors, following the shouts. He arrived at a door with Nana and Hermione's names on it, along with three others he didn't recognize. He opened the door, and was met with an odd sight. Nana was surrounded by three girls, still yelling.

"Just give it back! It's mine!" She leaped at a girl, who tossed an object at another, standing closest to Cooro. No-one had noticed him yet, so he looked at the object carefully. It was a book, but that was all he could see. Was it special to her, like Senri's? He stepped forward and yanked it out of the girls hands as the first one spoke.

"Tell us how you know Cooro! And how you got wings! Or you'll never get the book back!" _(AN: I realize this is a bit odd for Gryffindors, but they can't all be angels) _The girl who had been holding the book turned to him and gasped. They all looked up, and Nana smiled brightly at him.

"Cooro!" He grinned at her, then looked around.

"Where's Hermione?" Nana walked toward him, ignoring the looks her room mates were giving her. She was already dressed, and had her bag ready.

"Went down early, she wanted to look for a library book." He handed her the book, and they both turned, only to see Percy standing there, panting slightly.

"There is… a reason… the stairs turn… into a slide. What… did you think… you were doing?" Cooro looked at his, with an innocent look on his face.

"Nana was late. So I came and got her, sir." Nana wondered idly if Cooro slipped the sir in on purpose to flatter him. If he had, it worked. He puffed up slightly, still trying to catch his breath.

"That may be, but… Next time, just send someone up here, alright?" They nodded, and walked away, leaving Percy and the girls. Before they were out of earshot, Cooro heard Percy speak.

"He covered for you, now what _really _happened?" And then they were at the stairs. Cooro tentatively stepped forward, with Nana watching him oddly. At the third step, they turned into a slide once again. Laughing, he slid down, with Nana following. They both tumbled into Husky, who was unfortunately waiting at the bottom. He glared at them as he stood up.

"Sorry, Husky!" Cooro managed to get out in between laughing. Nana couldn't stop long enough to even nod. Senri chuckled. Harry and Ron had left, but as they walked downstairs, they found both running up, Harry holding an oddly shaped package. He looked up at them.

"It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. The fastest model yet! It's for me being on the team!" Harry grinned at them, but Cooro looked at it with slight contempt. Ron continued, not noticing Cooro's glare.

"And Malfoy ran into us taking it up! You should have seen his face!" Husky gave it the proper praise, and they left. He sighed.

"I wonder if either of them realize how little we care for brooms?" Nana looked at him curiously.

"Well, you two can already fly, why would you even care? I hate flying, so… And Senri… um…" He didn't finish.

"I don't mind flying, Husky." They stared, shocked, at Senri. Except Cooro, who didn't seem to care, but instead beamed at him.

"Yay! You like flying! Come on, I smell oatmeal!" Looking at their friend with amusement, they went to the Great Hall, to find the package Harry had gotten was second in discussion only to the games over the weekend. Plenty of students came up to them, with thanks for the homework help, asking if they were continuing next week, or congratulating them for the twins pranks. (The illusions had interrupted several classes, and a few were still running around. George had managed to enchant them so they only disappeared if Vanished) Husky was adamant that it wasn't their idea at all. Very few believed him. Cooro didn't help, as he was asking what happened and laughing at the stories. In short, he was acting exactly like the one's responsible. They themselves were at the Ravenclaw table, talking with Lee as he flirted with the girl from last week. She looked interested.

Their first class, when it finally rolled by, was exceptionally easy, and McGonagall was shocked at their progress. Sure, study groups were always helpful, but this was unheard of! Every one managed to successfully change their fork into a spoon, including Neville, who was already notorious for messing up the easiest spells. He was the last, though, and his spoon had vaguely pointed ends, like a spork. He was assigned practice, and they were to write a report on a famous Transfigurer, Vindictus Viridien. No-one but Hermione and, surprisingly Harry knew him. Hermione went into a long talk on the various books she'd found him in, but Harry shrugged.

"He wrote a book that I saw in Diagon Alley. That's all," he told Ron and Husky, who were both asking him in surprise as they walked to Charms. Nana lagged, listening to Hermione, and Cooro was talking to Neville.

"I actually changed it! That's the first time I've come _close!_" He wasn't disappointed in the slightest with his work. Senri lagged back, looking at a burly fifth-grader walking towards them, or more specifically, Harry. Pulling him away, the boy whispered in his ear for a moment, then nodded at them and walked off. Harry didn't answer when they questioned him, so they all shrugged and sat down in Flitwick's room. He walked in, and class began. At the end of the day, the answer came in the form of Harry waking off with his new broom right after lunch. Wood left a few minutes later. Cooro immediately looked out the window, and caught a glimpse of Harry flying around, but he was the only one, thanks to the heightened sight from his Anima. He was a bit surprised by how well he _could _see, considering it was dusk. He glanced worriedly at Nana for a moment, so no-one would notice.

_Were their Anima's getting stronger?_

Harry eventually came in, as they sat around the Common Room playing cards. Ron had found a deck of Exploding Snap laying around, and Cooro thought it'd be fun to play Go Fish. He was the most covered with ashes, and had lost seven times. They were starting their eighth game when he came in, grinning. Cooro jumped up, grinning at him.

"How was," he stopped, looking around in mock-suspicion, then leaned in, saying in a stage-whisper, "Quidditch practice?" The others laughed as Harry glanced at him, annoyed.

"If I say it's _really_ a secret, would it stop you from broadcasting it like that?" Cooro beamed.

"Nope!" More laughter, and Harry sighed, sitting down just as the cards exploded all over Husky. Groaning, he jumped up, putting out a small flame on his robes, exposing his clothes underneath. Hermione looked at him in confusion.

"I thought only Cooro and Nana got an exception, why aren't you in the uniform?" Husky looked around at the others, a pleading look on his face. Senri pulled the collar of his down, showing his clothes as well. They turned to him, asking the same question, and Cooro quickly whispered instructions in his ear. When Hermione turned back to him, the scared appearance was gone.

"My other clothes were dirty from the games, and since we don't have a lot of uniforms, I decided to just wear this instead." He didn't really want to tell of his Anima just yet. Senri nodded, and Nana giggled behind her hand. They headed up to bed. This day would set the norm for the next few weeks, though Cooro never had to climb up to the girls dorms again, and Nana reported that she was now room-mates with Parvati and Lavender, instead of Janet and Stacy, her old ones. Hermione was pleased, saying that Parvati was much quieter, and Lavender didn't snore like Janet had. Cooro and Husky stayed late in the Common Room one night, waiting until the others were all gone.

"We need to talk with the Headmaster, Husky," Cooro started, looking completely serious. Husky looked a bit surprised, and confused as well. Cooro continued, unhindered.

"Me'n Nana've been flying at night, and-" He didn't finish, as Husky cut him off.

"I thought we told you two to stop that! You heard McGonagall, you could get in trouble!" Cooro pouted, looking like a kicked puppy. Husky managed to hold out for a few moments, then groaned.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Just, can you _try _not to break rules, please?" Cooro nodded, and continued, still looking sad.

"We saw something yesterday night. A person, walking into the woods. They were talking, but no-one was there, and when they left, there was… was a…" He looked around, fearfully. Husky watched him closely, as if waiting for some trick.

"There was silvery stuff, dripping down his face. Like _blood_…" He shuddered, then went on. "Neither of us wanted to get closer, but Nana thinks she'd recognize the voice if she heard it again." Husky nodded, examining his face closely. He looked honest, but _really…_ Cooro was an accomplished liar, part of knowing him was telling the difference. But why would he lie…?

"When are you going to tell him? Tomorrow? It is Friday, we have the afternoon off…" But Cooro shook his head.

"I want to go now, when he's not busy. Tell Senri, won't you?" He began to walk off, but Husky grabbed his arm.

"You think I'm letting you wander around in an enchanted castle by yourself? No, come on. If we hurry, we can get back before anyone notices us missing." And they left. Exactly three minutes later, a small figure walked down one set of stairs, up the other, and was back down with another person behind them.

The boys silently as they navigated through the halls, listening for both Mrs. Norris, who Cooro loved taunting, and Filch, who was just scary.

Surprisingly, they made it to the door of the office before they heard anyone. It was Madam Pomfrey, as she walked from the Potions classroom to the Hospital Wing. They quickly hid inside a doorway, listening to her rant about dangerous classes and irresponsible teachers. When she stopped right outside the door, both froze.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" she called, peering left and right. They held their breath, but a wail distracted her.

"_Ickle firsties, wandering the Charms hallway! Students out of bed! Ooh, what naughty children!" _Peeves cackled, sailing past a juncture upside-down. Madam Pomfrey ran after him. They both sighed with relief as her footsteps faded down the hall. Cooro opened the door, looked out, and bolted across the hall. Quickly, he whispered the password he'd heard from Snape when they'd first arrived, and again from Madam Hooch later on. The gargoyle jumped away, and they walked in, with it closing behind them. When they reached the inner door, Cooro hesitated, looking over at Husky.

"You can wait here, if you want to. I don't want you to get in trouble." Husky was already shaking his head.

"No, I'm staying. Now come on," and he reached forward and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice filtered through, and they both pulled the heavy door back. He looked up from a letter, surprise flitting across his face.

"And what do I owe this pleasure, Cooro, Husky? I do hope it is important, or I will have to take points." Cooro leaped forward, as if trying to hide the fact that Husky was there.

"I was up last night, and I saw a person leaving the Forbidden Forest. So I tried to get a closer look, and… they were dripping silver blood from the mouth." He finished, and looked up at their Headmaster with an I'm-innocent-so-don't-punish-me look. Dumbledore, however, didn't notice, as he was staring into space with a worried/contemplative expression. Husky glanced around, his eyes meeting those of several people on the walls. The portraits of the past headmasters watched him, some disdainfully, others speculative. Albus cleared his throat, but before he could utter whatever he'd come up with, a man on the wall commented dryly, "A lovely day for Hogwarts when students can just wander the halls after hours with made-up stories like that." They all turned to look at the man in question.

"I didn't make it up! I saw it, and so did-" He cut himself off, again seeming to try and hide Husky from view. Husky was pretty sure it was subconsciously, but the painting didn't.

"Ah, so the other one 'saw' it as well? Let's hear what he says, then!" Albus sighed.

"Phineus, enough. I happen to trust these students, even if you do not. However, you two should hurry to bed. Thank you for the news, though I do wish it was better." And he looked down onto his desk, clearly a dismissal. They left, one hesitant, one rather anxious. Outside, Husky turned to Cooro impatiently.

"_What _is the matter with you?! You're the one who wanted to come, why are you so anxious to get out of here?" Cooro looked down. He hated it when he made people mad. Seeing he wasn't going to answer, Husky groaned and turned away, beginning the long walk back to the Common Room. After a moment, he turned back, to see Cooro wasn't following, but instead standing there, still watching the floor. Turning fully, he called back.

"What are you standing there for? We could get caught!" When he showed no signs of listening, Husky continued, "Come on!" Slowly, Cooro walked over, and followed behind as Husky half ran half walked back to the dorms. Both were silent until they got back, where they found a surprise waiting for them. Nana was standing there, hands on hips, with Senri behind her. When they walked in, she lashed out angrily at the depressed-looking crow.

"I cannot _believe_ you did that!" No response.

"I thought we had an agreement! Either we went together, or not at all!" He still didn't say a thing.

"What, were you trying to get more _glory_ or something?!" Husky finally stepped in.

"Nana, leave him alone. I don't think-" She rounded on him angrily, and he stepped back a bit, almost knocking into Cooro.

"Oh, so you were in on this as well? I can't believe you would do this!" Her mouth moved a bit more, but no more sound came out. Cooro still hadn't said a thing, and now they all looked over at him. He was 'examining' the carpet with the utmost scrutiny. Senri walked over to him and forced him to look up. He had the same look as he'd had when his aviator friend had told him to go away. Husky leaned forward, looking him over.

"Why _did _you do that, Cooro? You tried to make me stay back, too. _And_ wanted me to wait outside the office when we got there, too," he commented, and Cooro muttered something inaudibly.

"What was that?" Senri nodded, having been closest to him at the time, therefore having heard whatever he'd said. Cooro looked up and repeated himself, feeling a bit relieved that no-one was yelling anymore.

"I said I didn't want to get anyone in trouble. The whole thing was my idea, so I figured I should take the blame…" He smiled a bit sheepishly, and subconsciously slid a bit closer to Senri. Nana groaned, staring at the ceiling exasperatedly.

"You would do something like that…" Cooro peeked out from behind Senri, where he'd ended up with his constant shifting.

"So you're not mad anymore?" She shook her head, but Husky was the one that answered.

"No, we're not. Just, please don't do that kind of thing again, 'kay?" He nodded, and they all began walking to bed.

"So… was it you two wandering in the halls a bit ago?" Nana looked at him, confused.

"We never left the Common Room, on the off-chance you _didn't _go to Dumbledore. Why? Did you see someone?"

"No, but Peeves floated by yelling that someone was out of bed." Nana raised an eyebrow.

"And… you believe him?" Cooro jumped in, quieter than usual.

"We weren't sure. Saved us, though. Madam Pomfrey was walking by and almost found us when he started yelling." And she lectured them for a minute before they finally made it to bed. The two 'adventurers' were last to crash, both thinking along the same lines.

'_Who was wandering in the halls tonight?'_

The next few weeks passed without incident. Classes were running smoothly, Quidditch practice was up, though in 'secret' for Harry, as Cooro, plus everyone who'd been at the dinner table that first day, knew all about him being on the team. Weekends continued as a study hall/ recess thing, with a varying number every week. Mostly first-years came, as older students rarely had a free period. But some did, and they included the Weasley twins and Oliver Wood. They gave Harry flying tips as they worked, though, according to George, "He should be teaching _us,_ he's a natural!"

None of them mentioned the mysterious person again, though Nana and Cooro both noted that he was no longer appearing at night. Perhaps Dumbledore had already found them…? Husky and Senri began to join them for their midnight jaunts, Husky swimming and Senri running and jumping. They were exceptionally careful to avoid any windows showing light or movement at all; Cooro was still worried that he would get them all thrown out just when they'd all gotten comfortable, and even, dare I say it, happy. The remainder of the school remained oblivious of their classmates actions, and it became normal to see children being flown around the grounds, and houses to be so mingled that the tables were useless. Even the students against it were pulled in, moving to other tables if only to avoid the other houses. It was easily the oddest year ever had at Hogwarts. And it was about to get a lot weirder.

The feud between Hermione and Ron/ Harry was still running strong, and neither group exchanged a single word until Halloween. On Halloween morning, they all awoke to both Cooro's excited yelling and the scent of pumpkin. The crow managed to drag several exhausted-looking first-years to the Great Hall to eat, and they were heading to class before most of the general population was even done.

In Charms, Flitwick announced that they'd be making things fly. Separating into partners turned out to be rather messy. Nana was with Husky, Cooro and Senri, and Harry managed to avoid Neville in favor of Seamus…

But Ron was partnered with Hermione.

They all looked over at the pair, worried. What would happen? Before anyone could try and switch out the pair, Flitwick began to speak.

_Yeah, I know I ended on a bad spot, but I wanted to put this up as soon as possible. I'm trying to make a rather difficult cosplay, and keep up with homework, so this took a back-seat for a while. I apologize, and I'll try and stay on this in the future…._

Extra points if you can guess what book he wrote! (No referencing the canon!)

Remind you of anyone? *cough*Mrs. Weasley!*cough*

I can't remember this guy's name, help!


	6. Chapter 6

_Well, here I am, ready to write another chapter. To anyone still bothering to read this, I am sorry for taking so long! High school is finally catching up to me, so I've been busy keeping due dates. I don't own any of it, but it's fun, anyway. _

_Answer to last weeks bonus question: __**Curses and Counter Curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) **__by Professor Vindictus Viridian._

_Here's chapter… Six, right?_

Flitwick, oblivious of the partnering issues in the third row, began to talk.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing! Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself with a buffalo on his chest." And they began.

The spell was more difficult than they'd thought originally. Seamus accidentally lit his on fire, but Harry managed to put it out before serious harm was done. Ron looked as if he was trying to fly himself, the way he was waving his arms. Nana noted he was miss-pronouncing the spell.

"You're saying it wrong. It's Wing-_gar-_dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long." Hermione seemed annoyed, possibly due to nearly being impaled by Ron's latest attempt at the spell. Cooro was using the charm from a few weeks ago to make the feather change colors, and had come up with one that looked bright orange from a distance and a toxic yellow up close. Husky wasn't having any luck, and abandoned the attempt to watch the fight unfold the next table over.

"You do it, then, if you're so clever!" Ron snapped, glaring at Hermione. How dare she critique him when she hadn't done the charm yet either? The 'she' in question just performed the spell perfectly, getting a spiel of praise from Professor Flitwick. Ron was considerably annoyed, especially when Cooro managed the spell, and got a point for changing the color first. Nana was too busy giggling at this whole scene to try, and Husky was trying to see how many students were managing to perform the spell based off of Hermione's advice.

After class, Nana tried to get to Hermione, just as Ron was complaining about her to Harry and Husky. Cooro was staying back with Senri, who'd somehow conjured wings onto his feather. The Professor wasn't sure if he should dock points for it or give extra. It _was _flying, after all. They both turned to see Hermione running past the boys, with Nana on her tail. Ron, when they caught up, looked uncomfortable.

Neither girl appeared all afternoon. At dinner, the boys were sitting separate, as Cooro disapproved of Ron saying anything bad about their friends. Husky and Senri just followed, due to habit as much as opinion on the situation.

"Do you think they're all right?" Cooro was very worried. The only reason he wasn't already panicking and searching everywhere was because Husky kept calming him down.

"They're fine. Nothing can get to them inside the castle, anyway," Husky said, getting a bit annoyed at his friend's constant requests for assurance. Cooro nodded. Five minutes later, he opened his mouth to ask again, only to be cut off.

"Cooro, Hermione was upset at the end of class. Nana is probably trying to calm her down. Or, they decided to skip out of classes. Either way, they will be _fine."_ This came from Senri. Again, he earned odd looks from Husky and those nearby who knew him. Before anyone could comment, though, a loud SLAM! Had them all turning to the doors, where Professor Quirrel was running into the Hall, panting. He stopped in front of the Head table.

"Troll- in the dungeon- thought you ought to know." He collapsed, though very few noticed, as a mass panic had broken through the students. Everyone's favorite crow jumped into the air and dove into the crowd to pull the unconscious man out of the melee, and Senri moved over to help, with Husky clearing a space to get to the Teacher's platform. Meanwhile, Dumbledore launched off several purple explosions from his wand to get the attention of the mob below him. When they were finally silent, he commanded the Prefects to lead their Houses to the Common Rooms.

Sounding a peculiar mix of excited and worried, Percy called for all Gryffindors to follow him, reassuring the younger students that everything would be fine, as long as they listened to him. Cooro waited exactly fourteen seconds (Husky was counting under his breath) before leaving the group to head to the bathrooms. Husky and Senri noticed five seconds later, and followed. It took Ron and Harry another two minutes to get away, as Percy was looking behind him to head-count, and shrugging when he couldn't get an accurate read due to such a large group. They caught up with the others, panting slightly.

They walked in silence for a bit, until footsteps were heard, fast approaching.

"Percy!" Ron whispered fiercely, signaling for them to hide behind a stone gryffin. Peering out carefully as the steps faded slightly, Cooro saw Snape walking swiftly towards, not the dungeons, but the third floor. Then he was gone, and they fell out of their hiding place, confused looks mirrored in every face.

"What was he-" Harry began, but was cut off by Husky.

"We don't have time for this! Come on, before we're caught!" And they raced on, trying to get to the bathrooms as fast as possible. Right before they turned the corner, a foul stench reached their noses, Senri first. He snorted, covering his face with a billowing sleeve and held out an arm to hold the others back. Cooro was next to notice, but only a second ahead of Ron.

"Urgh! What _is_ that?" Ron copied Senri's earlier actions, concealing his entire face with his sleeve.

"Smells like that carnival, right, Husky?" Cooro grinned at him. Husky glared, not liking being reminded of his escapades as the Mermaid Princess. Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances, before Cooro bounced past Senri and ran full tilt down the hall, reaching the bathroom and entering with no hesitation.

Moments later, a creature (for there was no other way to describe it) stumbled into the hall, heading directly towards the door Cooro had entered. Harry looked in horror back at the others, only to find that Ron was the only one there, the other two already racing to get to the bathroom. They both followed, and as they ran, a ear-piercing shriek reached their ears.

"_Hermione!"_

The door was wide open, and allowed them to see Hermione pressed against the wall, Nana unconscious at her feet. Cooro was in front of them both, black wings fully outstretched, glaring at what could only be the troll. Senri was wrenching a sink from the wall, and as they came in just behind Husky, he hurled it at the beast's head, where it shattered into a fine powder. It slowly turned, allowing Cooro to scoop up Nana and slip carefully around it. Halfway there, he looked back to see Hermione still at the wall, looking terrified.

"Come on, we have to hurry!" He yelled, the troll not noticing as it turned to fully face it's opponent. Husky crept around it to where Cooro stood, and took Nana out of his arms.

"You get Hermione, I'll bring her to the Hospital Wing. Got it?" Nodding, Cooro made his way back as the troll advanced on the stolid bear. Half-dragging her behind him, Cooro ran to the doors, where he shoved both Harry and Ron out the door with Hermione at their heels.

"She needs to go to the Hospital, and someone needs to get help!" Ron protested, looking back at the behemoth. For once, Senri looked short.

"But- the troll-" Cooro, for once impatient, cut him off in exasperation.

"_Go!_ He'll be fine, but not for much longer. Get a teacher, get a Prefect, get _Peeves_ if you have to! And hurry!" They both ran, Ron to the Hospital with Hermione, Harry racing to get to the dungeons. Halfway there, he heard loud footsteps running his way. Several people's, in fact. Without a second thought, he yelled at the top of his lungs,

"THE TROLL IS IN THE GIRL'S BATHROOM!" And ran back to help the Anima.

Meanwhile, Senri was circling the troll slowly, looking for a weak spot. Cooro was alternating watching the hall and the troll, feeling useless. Abruptly, the troll lunged forward, lifting his club high, ready to strike.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _A voice yelled, hoisting the club far above their heads. Cooro turned to see Ron, out of breath with wand extended, standing just behind him. His wand hand shifted slightly, and he cursed as he lost hold of the spell, dropping the club onto it's masters head. Quick as a flash, Senri ran forward and pulled them all out of the way as the troll fell at their feet. Harry ran up moments later, sweating. He turned to face Ron, a confused look on his face.

"Ron? I thought you were taking Hermione to the Hospital-" A voice cut him off.

"Mr. Potter. What exactly is going on here?" They all turned to see Professor McGonagall looking at them. Behind her was the rest of the teachers, all with either annoyed or extremely lost looks on their faces. Before he, or any of them for that matter, could respond, she was upon them, and looked into the open doorway. A surprised gasp escaped her lips, and the one hand flew to her mouth, the other grabbing hold of the doorway. She rounded on them, eyes flashing behind her glasses.

"_What, _exactly_, did you do?" _Cooro was standing in the front of the group, while Senri kept the others back carefully, without attracting attention. He looked to the floor, then back up, a rueful expression on his face.

"We were-" He was cut off by another voice. Wondering if there was a rudeness spell going around, as no-one could complete their sentences, he turned to see Hermione standing just past Ron, her face flushed.

"It was all my fault. I went looking for the troll, because I thought I could take care of it. But Nana got knocked out, and Cooro and Ron had to drag me out of the way… They probably saved my life." At that point, she looked up. McGonagall looked flummoxed. Ron blatantly stared, dropping his wand. _Hermione, _lying to a _teacher? _Harry was equally shocked, but Cooro voiced a question.

"Weren't you going to the Hospital Wing?" Hermione didn't respond, she was too busy watching the Professor as her face slowly went from shocked back to anger.

"How could you be so foolish? Five points from Gryffindor." Hermione nodded, obviously having expected this, and Senri noticed, beneath the shame and embarrassment, a slight gleam of triumph.

"As for the rest of you, I cannot stress how imprudent your actions were. However, very few first years could have survived such an encounter, and I will not overlook that. Five points to each of you. And five to Nana and Husky, as well." She added, almost as an afterthought.

"Professor Dumbledore will hear of this. Now, off to bed." Cooro was itching to ask if they could go visit their unconscious bat friend in the Hospital, but stayed silent, so as to keep the Transfiguration teacher from yelling. They began the long walk to the Tower, never speaking. At the door, however, all turned to each other and said one word.

"Thanks."

Husky, meanwhile, sat in the Hospital Wing next to Nana while Madam Pomfrey fussed around her. He hadn't said a word as to how she'd been knocked out, partially because he wasn't so sure himself, and the Madam was very annoyed with him. She hadn't been able to send him out, either, as he was ignoring her every order to do so. He sat silent, watching Nana's face quietly, wondering if the others were okay.

"Poppy?" They both looked up to see McGonagall standing in the doorway, face a bit red.

"Ah, Minerva, did you find the troll?" She nodded mutely, catching her breath.

"Well, thank goodness that's all over and done. Meanwhile, I have an unconscious first year and _this boy," _she gestured to Husky, "will not tell me a thing. He just runs in here, carrying the girl, and-"

"Poppy, they were fighting the troll." Madam Pomfrey gaped at her.

"What? You must be joking, how on Earth-" McGonagall cut her off tiredly.

"That's exactly what I was going to ask him now." She looked at him expectantly. Husky frowned.

_Should I tell the truth? What did the others tell her? _At this thought, he looked at her.

"Are the others okay? Where's the troll?" She waved a hand dismissively.

"They are fine, the troll is being transported to, well, you don't need to know where. Now, what happened?" Husky was quiet, thinking. Finally, he decided to tell the truth. Vaguely.

"We were going to the Tower when Cooro noticed that Hermione and Nana were missing. So we went to find them. When we got to the bathrooms, Nana was unconscious and Hermione was trapped at the back wall behind the troll. Senri and I distracted it, and Cooro carried Nana out, then went back and dragged Hermione out. I carried Nana here right after that, so I don't know what happened." He breathed carefully through his nose, hoping that he hadn't just gotten someone in trouble with his story.

_They wouldn't blatantly lie, would they?_

The Professor nodded. Hoping she hadn't just read his mind, Husky tuned back in to her words.

"Fine. Now, if you'll head up to the Tower, you may finish dinner while Madam Pomfrey cares for Nana." Leaving no room for argument, he was half-dragged from the room as the teacher led him to the stairs.

"Um… Professor? You don't need to take me all the way, I know how to get to the Tower," Husky said hesitantly. McGonagall didn't even break her swift pace at his words.

"Mr. Filch is out looking for other students out of their Common Rooms. I do believe you'd rather not get a detention." He nodded silently, and didn't speak again until they were in front of the Fat Lady's painting.

"Pig snout, and I do hope you'll stay inside this time." With that, she left Husky to clamber inside. Once the door was closed, he turned to be greeted by an overly-excited crow in the form of a flying tackle-hug.

"Husky! Are you okay? How about Nana? Did you get in trouble?" Husky nodded at the first two, and shook his head at the last, trying to get out of the hug. Cooro released him almost immediately, still smiling, and lead him over to the rest of the group. Senri wordlessly handed him a plate of smoked trout.

Eventually, the party atmosphere evaporated, and people began to drift upstairs to bed, yawning. No-one had noticed the first years disappearance or late arrival, so thankfully there were no awkward questions about their whereabouts at that time. Hermione told hers and Nana's roommates that Nana had felt a bit sick earlier, and was in the Hospital to calm her stomach. It was close enough, and Hermione seemed to find it easier to lie now.

Finally, they were all in bed, fast asleep. Husky was the last to crash, his mind filled with what could have happened. He fell into a fitful doze.

_He was running down a long hallway lit by torches. They burned, not the warm orange he'd grown used to, but a sinister green. There were screams filling the air, and the faster he ran, the farther away they'd seemed. He reached the end of the hall, where a single door stood open. Inside, there was a horrible smell. Entering the room, he saw the troll, holding a limp Nana. The creature looked at him, grinning, and tore the body in half, flinging the pieces to the floor. Nana's eyes stared into space. _

_Husky yelled, but he was frozen as the troll picked up another body. It was Cooro, still awake and struggling madly, wing marking glowing and spinning wildly. They would do no good, though, and the troll hurled him into a wall. Cooro screamed, then was silent. Again, Husky struggled to move, but wasn't able to even twitch. Even his lungs were frozen now, and he couldn't breath. The troll reached down one last time, and when he pulled up, Senri was in his grip. But this Senri was young, without his eye patch, claws extended, fully intending to rip the troll to shreds. It laughed, a high and womanly laugh that sent shivers of fear down Husky's spine._

_He knew that laugh._

_It mercilessly tore Senri to pieces, tossing them one by one to the floor. And now it reached for him, grabbing his throat as the troll turned to his stepmother, no longer laughing. He was plunged into cold water, and now his lungs were working, but he inhaled no air, only liquid, and he couldn't breath, he couldn't breath, __**he couldn't breath-**_

"HUSKY!" A voice penetrated his mind, and Husky opened his eyes, sitting up quickly and hitting his head on something hard.

"Ow!" That voice was familiar, and as conscious thought penetrated Husky's mind, he realized who it belonged to. He looked up into the grey eyes of Senri.

"You okay?" Senri questioned, looking worried, while Cooro, who's head he'd hit, sat silently at the foot of the bed, watching silently.

"Yeah… just a nightmare…" Husky ignored the oddness of the situation, with Senri talking and Cooro sitting silently watching.

"About?" Senri moved back, giving him some much needed space, and Husky realized he was panting, gasping for air as the memory of the dream replayed in his mind's eye.

"… Nothing, it's nothing." Neither of them looked like they believed him, but, after a brief look at each other, they went to their beds. After that, the night was silent, except for the howling of wolves and a slight, high keening of a unicorn.

The sun came bright and early, as though it had abruptly decided to break through the thick clouds that had hidden it from view for the past week. As it was the weekend, the children hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast. Husky was tired, but hid it well under a veil of aloofness that matched his usual persona. Only Cooro and Senri noticed the change, and neither was inclined to comment. Before they could enter the tall double doors, Nana came barreling into them.

"Morning! Oh, what happened yesterday? I was in the bathroom, trying to calm down Hermione, and I can't remember a thing after that!" They all glanced at one another.

_She didn't remember? _There was silence, until Cooro slowly, quietly, told her of yesterday's events. Nana's eyes widened, staring deep into first Cooro's, then the others, looking for a lie. When she found none, Nana sighed.

"It would be me that gets knocked out… Thanks, you guys." Wanting to comfort her, but having no words with which to do so, Husky put his arm around her shoulders, giving an awkward hug before walking into the Hall. She put her arm around his waist, and Cooro grinned at how like a couple they looked from behind.

They sat, drawing quite a few looks from their fellow classmates, as it was well-known by now that Nana and Husky frequently argued. They were joined quickly by the Golden Trio, and made a silent deal not to speak of what had transpired the night before. Plans for the day's games and studies were discussed, and others quickly joined in after getting over the oddness of Husky and Nana, who hadn't noticed their positions as of yet.

Both noticed at the same time, and, blushing heavily, Nana withdrew her arm first. Husky drew back as well, his face even redder due to his naturally pale skin. The people surrounding them politely pretended not to notice. Cooro looked around, and was pleased to note that Malfoy hadn't seen them. Husky was tired, and when he was tired, his temper was worse.

Finished eating, and with a large crowd of eager Wizard-borns, the group headed outside. It wasn't yet cold enough to warrant them staying inside, to the delight of many. After a brief explanation of the rules (somehow, they'd rustled up a ball and were playing Kick Ball), the game began. There were remarkably few mishaps, as the others learned that magic wasn't allowed, _ever, _in Muggle games.

After a close victory to Husky and Cooro's group, they headed inside for lunch. Nana went to find Professor McGonagall to get their permission note, and found the Headmaster waiting outside the doors to the Great Hall. His eyes twinkled at her warmly.

"Hello there, Nana. I just wished to see how your recovery was going." She hesitantly smiled at him, blushing slightly.

"Thank you, Sir. I feel fine." He nodded, then handed her a note, giving them permission to practice. It was signed by him. Without another word, he left, and Nana walked back inside to eat. Before sitting down, she sighed.

_Why is it I was the only one to get hurt? I should have heard it coming!_

She sat down, and joined into the conversation loudly, avoiding the look Hermione was giving her. Nana didn't want pity, she wanted to get stronger.

The afternoon was quite like the others, though Fred and George entertained them with illusionary lions, badgers, eagles, and even a few snakes instead of pranking Mr. Filch using another loophole in the note.

Ron shocked many by performing the Levitation spell perfectly, as they all remembered the argument between him and Hermione. They were further shocked by the fact that said people were both getting along. Instead of their usual fighting, there was cheerful banter, never going to the extreme anger they usually did. Senri smiled at this.

_Kind of funny that they're all getting along so well due to a troll attack._ Of course, such an attack was one of those things you can't survive without bonding somewhat.

During dinner, a belated conversation came about as to what exactly had happened the night before with the troll and Quirrel. The DADA teacher had been sitting at all three meals, a bit pale but acting no different. No other professors were missing or out of character, so the conclusion was that they had taken care of it with little difficulty.

"Well, it makes sense. The entire teacher population against one troll? No contest!" Dean laughed, and a laughing debate as to which teacher had delivered the finishing blow ensured, with the few that had been there throwing in random comments now and then, to avoid suspicion as well as to gain a laugh. Cooro once again wondered how Ron and Hermione had come back, and why.

When they were heading up to the Common Room, he pulled them both a bit away from the others to ask. Hermione replied simply:

"I told him I'd go there myself, and followed a bit behind when he ran back. We weren't just going to walk away while you two were killed!" Ron nodded mutely, and Cooro grinned, hugging them both.

"Aww, you do care!" Awkwardly, they hugged him back, and they went back to the others, who were watching with amusement.

Thus ended the first day of all of them actually getting along, Senri thought with amusement as he slowly fell asleep to the quiet sound of beating wings fading into the distance.

Well, it's finally done! I knew I'd finish eventually. Sorry this took so long, tenth grade is a drag. Anyway, any comments, questions, or if you hated it and wish to tell me so, can be sent via PM or comment. Please? It's the only way I remember to work on this!


	7. Chapter 7

A Twist In History Chapter… Seven?

**Disclaimer: **If I was a professional writer, I think I would be better at meeting deadlines, dont'cha think?

**AN: **To all those who still bother to read this, thank you for the support! Due to the increased difficulty of high school courses, the update rate of this story has decreased dramatically. So, again, thank you to all that have faith that I'll finish this story eventually. 99 UNIQUE 99, welcome back.

I've had several questions about when the +Anima are going to find out what the Golden Trio is up to. Please stop asking things like that, I don't like to reveal the storyline so early on!

Their band became rather closely knit after that. As they headed into November, the weather became cold and inhospitable. Husky suffered a bit in the cold, both from his Anima and the clothes he still wore under his robes, despite protests to use the uniform.

Finally, Harry's first Quidditch game was approaching. Against Slytherin. Despite all of Cooro's attempts to the contrary, Harry was still the 'secret weapon' of the Gryffindor team. Or, he had been up to about a week before the game, when it leaked out. Cooro swore it hadn't been him, and the rest believed him. He'd been unusually quiet.

They stood outside in the courtyard, warming themselves up with one of Hermione's blue-flames-in-a-jar, when Snape crossed the yard. He was just barely limping, and made a beeline towards them.

"What are you doing?" None of them said a word. Cooro and Nana had wandered away earlier, but were approaching quickly from the other side of the courtyard.

"What is that, Potter?" Harry handed over the book Hermione had lent him, _Quidditch Through The Ages. _He handed it over, dreading it. Snape looked angry, more than usual.

"Library books are not allowed outside of the school. Five points from Gryffindor." He walked away, still limping, as Cooro and Nana joined them.

"What was that all about? He looked angry." Husky glanced at them.

"He took Harry's book. He said it was against the rules to take them out of the building."

Cooro shivered slightly. He wasn't used to so much _cold, _though he was better off than Husky. Hermione scoffed.

"It's not a rule! I should know, I've checked several times. Especially because…" As she continued, Ron muttered in Harry's direction:

"I don't care how he hurt his leg, I hope it's really hurting him."

Later, Hermione was going over their homework (a kind of back-door to cheating off of her perfect answers), and Harry was fidgety. His first game was tomorrow, and now he didn't even have his book to take his mind off of it.

Finally, he stood up.

"I'm going to see if Snape will give me the book back." After a moment of staring, they nodded.

"Better you than me!" Ron said cheerily, the others nodding in agreement. Husky, however, stood up slowly, brushing off his robes.

"I'll go with you, I need a walk anyway."

Harry nodded, and they set off towards the staffroom. 'It was closer than the dungeons' was the reasoning, as neither boy wanted to admit they didn't want to go down to their creepy classroom any more than necessary.

The room was quiet, though with the stone walls and thick doors, this didn't mean much. Walking forward, Harry knocked on the door. Waited. Knocked again. Nothing. Sighing, he turned to face his friend.

"I guess we should look in the dungeons…" Husky frowned thoughtfully.

"Maybe he left it in there? We should take a look at least." He edged the door open a crack, and voices filtered out.

"Blasted thing! How are you supposed to keep an eye on all three heads at once?" Husky glanced at Harry in confusion, just as said boy leaned closer and fell through the open door. There, they saw Filch wrapping up a bloody gash on Snape's leg.

"POTTER!" He was livid, and somehow managed not to notice Husky standing a few feet back. Harry scrambled up, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I was just wondering if I could have my book back?"

"GET OUT! _NOW!"_ They both ran, Husky wondering vaguely if Snape hated Harry so much that he didn't even notice him, Husky, standing not two feet away. He pushed that thought away and tried to think of anything that had three heads.

He went to the others, on the verge of asking, but there was an odd look in Harry's eyes, a kind of realization, that made him pause. Cooro was sitting on the windowsill, talking to Nana and Senri, so he walked over to them, watching the other three talk in whispers.

"They're hiding something, I know it." They looked over at them, then at Nana, who was already shaking her head. "It's too loud in here, and it'll attract attention." He scowled, but didn't dispute it. They went to bed is silence, all of the seven in their own thoughts.

The Great Hall was loud with excitement and filled with the smell of breakfast. Harry looked a bit sick. Ron and Hermione were trying to get him to eat, but gave up after Seamus commented that Seekers were most often the ones to get clobbered. Cooro was examining the sky carefully, squinting at wisps of clouds.

_This is gonna be bright… and now I can't tell how windy it is!_ He scowled a bit, continuing to scan the magical ceiling. Husky was silent, wondering how he could be so stressed about this, it was just a _game. _

Finally, it was time to head to the pitch. As Harry headed to the locker rooms, Hermione showed them a banner they'd made, proclaiming 'Potter for President!' and had a Gryffindor lion that flashed different colors.

The teams came out, but they were too far down for anybody in the stands (that didn't have enhanced eyesight, anyway) to see how nervous Harry was. Madam Hooch said something or other, they launched into the air, and the game began. For the most part, the Anima didn't watch anything but Harry, who was higher than most and circling in search of, according to Ron, the Golden Snitch.

They're off, and Lee Jordan's voice booms over the stadium, announcing every movement while still having time to flirt with Angelina. McGonagall yelled at him, but Nana could see her eyes showed slight amusement. Slight.

Just as Angelina scored, Hagrid made his way through the crowds to where the six of them sat.

"Bin' watchin' from me hut, but it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd," he explained, and proceeded to ask the state of the game.

Cooro wasn't listening. He was enraptured by the game, watching every movement and wishing he could fly with them. The players were rather nimble, though not quite as much as he and Nana were, on _real_ wings.

Harry dove, just as Jordan was yelling something about the Snitch and the Slytherin Chaser dropped the Quaffle and looked all around him.

He was behind the Slytherin Chaser… Closer… Neck and neck…. Harry was pulling ahead… and CRASH!

Loud yells of anger came from the stands as Marcus Flint blocked the young Seeker, sending him careening into another direction. The Snitch had disappeared. Cooro and Nana leaned in, both more than aware of how dangerous crashing mid-flight could be, and ignored the argument behind them. Lee, meanwhile, was struggling not to be biased in his commentary, and had to repeat himself three times before McGonagall allowed him to continue.

Harry dodged a Bludger, but as he was about to continue looking for the elusive Snitch, his broom gave a sudden lurch. Before he could comprehend it, the broom lurched again, higher, further away from the game and anyone who could have helped.

It took a few minutes for everyone to notice him, as his broom began to roll, with Harry barely hanging onto the handle. Then, he was hanging off by a hand, struggling to pull himself back on as it continued to twitch violently.

Nana grabbed Cooro's arm, Senri on the other, as he lurched forward, fully intending to rescue his friend.

"They have it settled, you'll get in the way, _sit down!"_ He ignored them, but Senri's grip wasn't breaking soon, and he struggled in vain. Behind them, Ron and Hermione were whispering frantically, and Husky watched as they looked at the Teachers' Box, until Hermione ran off. Husky followed.

She ran to where the teachers were sitting, and though Husky stayed back, he could see she was headed towards Snape, knocking over Professor Quirrel in the process.

After a brief moment of confusion, involving blue flames, loud yells, and a bell jar, Hermione was making her way back to their seats. Husky trotted behind her, wondering how on _Earth _she hadn't noticed him yet.

They got back, to see Harry scrambling onto his broom. Senri released Cooro's arms (He'd taken over for Nana after a few moments) and sighed.

_When did he get so strong?_

Harry was diving, so quickly that people were shouting again, they thought he was going to crash, he was flying rather fast, there wasn't much time left to stop…

He fell to the field from about three feet. He appeared to be sick… and spat out the Snitch.

Though Flint was still yelling it wasn't fair, he'd nearly _swallowed _the Snitch, not caught it, there was nothing he could do. It wasn't against the rules, and Gryffindor had won, 170 points to 60. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were dragged to Hagrid's hut, but before they could invite their Anima friends, Cooro finally burst.

"ARGH!!!" He launched off the ground and flew up to meet the Weasley twins, who were flying victory laps, looping around them and whooping. Senri sat down immediately, and Husky and Nana joined him after a moment of deliberation.

After all, Hagrid hadn't really _invited_ them, had he?

It was dusk by the time Cooro finally settled on the ground, grinning. For a moment, anyway, before he promptly fell over.

"Cooro!"

They crowded around him. Everyone had left long ago, to celebrate or simply to eat. Senri pulled him up into a sitting position, and now they could see his face clearly. He was pale, abnormally so, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his face. His entire body was shaking as his chocolate-brown eyes opened slightly, then closed.

"I don't feel so good…" Senri picked him up then and, without waiting for the others, began to run towards the castle. They ran after him, but no-one could keep up with Senri when he was running. Nana grabbed Husky and flew after him, straining to catch up.

By the time she did however, Husky making it all the harder by struggling wildly, they had arrived at what could only be the Hospital Wing. How Senri had found it, she'd never know…

Senri, meanwhile, was laying Cooro down on a white bed. Madam Pomfrey walked in just as he got the boy settled. Cooro, meanwhile, had fallen asleep, or fainted.

"Oh my, what happened?" She walked over, taking Cooro's temperature and examining his pale face.

"He's been flying around since the game ended. When he landed, he collapsed." It wasn't a long statement, but they stared at Senri is shock anyway.

_Those were two entire sentences. _Two! Madam Pomfrey, however, didn't realize this was odd, and tutted.

"Honestly! Flying all day! That'd tire anyone out! Here, I'll give him a potion…" Senri shook his head. Husky cut in, Senri talking was scary.

"He can't take medicines meant for humans, his crow anima reacts badly…" She frowned.

"Professor Snape tells me he was making a potion for himself in class. Did he add something…?" Husky began to shake his head, but Nana cut in.

"Crow feathers, ma'am, but we're not sure how it works." Madam Pomfrey, however, didn't need any other information. Having finished her examination, she walked in back.

"Don't worry dears, he has a cold. Off to bed now, he needs sleep." When they began to protest, she cut them off with a wave of her hand.

"You can see him in the morning, now OFF!" They left, but reluctantly. Arriving at the common room, they found it empty. Nana, however, knew she was probably in for an interrogation when she got to her room. They exchanged good nights, and went up the separate staircases.

Hermione sat on her bed, waiting, as Nana walked inside. The other girls in the dorm were fast asleep. As she walked in, Nana lifted her nose, smelling food. It was then that she remembered that none of them had eaten since breakfast. Her stomach growled, and Hermione chuckled and held out a plate of food.

"Oh, thank you!" Nana took it carefully, but did not begin to eat, instead sitting on her bed opposite of Hermione, watching her.

"Where were you guys? You didn't come to Hagrid's, and you weren't at dinner…." Nana shrugged apologetically.

"We were going to follow you, but Cooro wanted to fly around. We waited for him, but he was flying around for a _long _time…" Here, Nana hesitated. She knew pretty well what was wrong with Cooro, and it wasn't that big a secret, but… The other three were obviously hiding something, and Nana didn't like it. It made her feel like they didn't trust them enough to keep silent. So, instead, she finished with:

"He finally came down, but Senri ran him to the Hospital Wing the moment he hit ground. He was running a bit of a fever." Hermione nodded, seeming to accept this, and Nana dug into the food.

"Did you have a nice visit with Hagrid?" Hermione jumped.

"Ah- yes, we did. Hagrid invited us for tea. Mostly wanted to discuss the game, so I don't know much of what they said…" She smiled sheepishly, then yawned.

"G'night Nana." She slipped into the covers of her bed, pulling the curtains closed behind her.

The boys had it easier, as they had no dorm mates besides themselves. However, they both sent to sleep hungry, so maybe having an interrogater waiting wasn't so bad.

Next morning, the Anima were awake, dressed, and on their way to breakfast before most of the school was even conscious. Wolfing down their food, none of them noticed the odd looks directed at them from the Head table, where Professors Snape and Dumbledore were eating. Finished, they all but sprinted up three flights of stairs, around several corridors, and into the Hospital.

Cooro was still in bed, asleep, but some color had been restored to his cheeks, and he seemed peaceful. As they crossed the threshold, Nana remembered what she'd told Hermione, and relayed it to the others.

Husky looked at her oddly.

"Why'd you even lie…?" She glared at him, obviously annoyed that he hadn't already realized her reasons.

"I don't like it when people lie to me, and those three are hiding something. If they can't trust us, I don't trust them." Before he could respond, she continued quickly.

"Look, remember how we got here? Cooro ran through the portal and we followed. We trusted him, he trusted us to not abandon him. I'm not about to spill secrets to someone who can't trust us with what they talked about at Hagrid's, and she wasn't even straight with me about that." Giving up, Husky nodded and sat on the chair next to Cooro's bed. Nana sat in the one on the other side, and Senri settled on the next bed over.

Madam Pomfrey entered, carrying a bundle of herbs, and found her three guests, all talking quietly about classes, lest they be overheard talking of something _important._

"How long have you three been here?" She began to place the contents of her bundle in various bottles, cabinets and boxes.

"Since… six, maybe?" She dropped her wand, in the process of enchanting the thick green leaves on the table.

"_Six? _Why, it's nearly nine! You've been here all this time?" They nodded mutely, confused. She picked up her wand, still a bit surprised.

_I've never seen such devoted friends. Well, not since the Marauders… _She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts, and continued to pack away her things.

"Well, he has a simple cold, though the crow… anima, was it? Complicates matters. However, I believe he will be fine as soon as he wakes up."

"When will that be, Ma'am?" Husky looked at her carefully, watching for a sigh of trickery. He was a very suspicious person, after all.

"I can't be sure, though I am fairly certain that it will not be any later than tonight's dinner." He nodded, and turned back to the conversation, which was centered on Transfiguration. They were in for a long wait.

And so are you guys, the way I've bee updating. Once again, I am sorry! Stupid high school…. Anyway, I'm not gonna beg for reviews. But I will say that they remind me to keep writing. Happy Holidays!


	8. Chapter 8

**A Twist in History, Chapter Eight**

**A.N. **Well, here it is, later than promised but earlier than I was planning. Be thankful that hockey was cancelled, or it wouldn't be up.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned _any _of this, I could afford to pay my brother back.

And long the wait was. The three Anima sat around the bed, talking quietly. So quiet, in fact, that Madam Pomfrey forgot they were there several times, and jumped slightly when she saw they were still there.

Around noon, because none of them showed signs of getting up, she conjured up a plate of sandwiches and pumpkin juice. Husky thanked her quietly, and they ate.

Nana was just about to ask Husky about the Transfiguration assignment, when she heard a slight sound from the bed in front of her. She looked down as Cooro groaned a bit, shifting in bed before opening his eyes slightly.

"… Do I smell food?"

Laughter, loud and relieved, reached Poppy's ears, and she looked up from her papers in annoyance before spotting the source of the noise. She hurried out of the office and out to where her only patient sat.

"Hello dear, awake, are we?" She leaned forward, placing her hand over his forehead, tutting at the warmth. "Well, you have a bit of a fever, but that's to be expected," she looked down in mild reproach. "Next time you wish to fly, don't bottle it up and exhaust yourself. Your friends were worried."

She bustled away, coming back with a wet rag, which she placed on his head, causing him to go cross-eyed to look at it.

"I was informed that you cannot take potions due to your anima. Is this true, Cooro?" It wasn't that she didn't trust his friends, she just wanted him to confirm it before deciding on a treatment.

"Yeah, it's true. But…" he stopped for a moment, then pressed on, Senri's nod reassuring him.

"Adding crow feathers right at the end will serve as a focus." She nodded absently, remembering Hagrid saying something similar when one of the thestrils had gotten sick.

"Human brews will work if a focus to tha' species is added."

"Well, then, I'll head down to Hagrid's. He's sure to have some feathers. Meanwhile, you should eat. If you feel sick, don't try to force yourself. Now, I'll be back soon." She walked out, wondering absently,

_Why do they treat it as such a secret?_

The four of them watched her go, then turned to each other.

"Do you think we should tell them? That this isn't normal?" Nana looked at each face carefully. Husky was contemplating, Senri looked blank, and Cooro yawned.

"Why should we? It's not like they would do anything differently. None of them are from our world." Husky muttered, looking up at them. Cooro stretched his arms over his head, wincing slightly as his bones creaked.

"Our Animas are getting stronger. So strong that we can't take human medicines or they'll react violently. We're lucky that hasn't affected our diet. Even a simple _cold_ becomes deadly because birds are weaker than humans! This is getting ridiculous!" Nana openly glared at Husky. Senri stared out the window.

"What are they going to do? Can't ask other wizards, our secret might be found by the wrong people. Can't research it, there's that little problem of un being _from another world._ And-"

"_Stop it!"_ They looked up at Cooro, who stood and walked around the bed to them.

"Don't argue. Please. We're friends, I don't want my illness making you guys fight." his angry look faded to pleading. Both felt rather bad for disturbing him when he was sick.

"Sorry…" They said in unison, and all chuckled quietly.

"We're telling Dumbledore." Senri said, finally looking up. After a brief moment of shock, Husky realized he was outnumbered and nodded. Cooro grinned, then closed his eyes, swaying a bit before falling back into the bed. Nana went over to help him get situated, then turned to the others.

"We'll go when he's feeling better, agreed?" Receiving the affirmative, she handed Cooro the plate of food, which he took and ate ravenously. He hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday, after all, and it was nearing eight.

Madam Pomfrey reentered at that moment, a bundle of feathers in her arms.

"Now, I do hate to bother you again, but could you help me with this? I'm afraid I have no idea how to make this." Cooro nodded, setting aside the now empty plate and standing, walking carefully over to where she was setting up a cauldron.

"Start with the original recipe…" An hour later, they had a completed cold cure, crow style. Cooro drank it without hesitation, feeling better almost immediately.

"You'll have to stay here overnight again, I'm afraid." Ignoring protests, she handed him a pair of pajamas and drew the curtains around the bed closed. Turning to the others, she smiled.

"I appreciate you help, and was it up to me, I would let you stay. However, your head of house has rather strict rules. Now, off to bed." They left after bidding Cooro goodnight. He watched them go sadly, then laid down and fell asleep. The cold was leeching his energy, even now.

The three walked in silence to the dormitory, and it was only partially to avoid being caught after hours.

Arriving at the portrait, Husky gave the password. The Fat Lady lightly scolded them, but opened up, and they clambered inside. There weren't many people in the room, so moving quietly, they separated and went to the stairs.

Nana had barely entered the dorm when Hermione cornered her, looking angry.

"_Where _have you been? Nobody has seen you all day!" Nana tried to move past her, but was blocked.

"With Husky and Senri, visiting Cooro. He's staying overnight again." She moved to get to her bed, and Hermione let her. Nana opened her trunk, pulling out a nightgown, and was pulling it over her head when a small voice reached her ears.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Slowly, she turned to look at Hermione, frowning.

"Why would you say that?"

"You disappear all day, twice, and won't be straight about what you were doing. It doesn't seem like you trust anyone but Cooro, Senri and Husky." For sounding so sad, Hermione looked more accusing. Nana frowned again, debating, then shrugged.

"We're friends, Hermione. I trust my friends. And I've explained what we were doing." Leaving it at that, she went to bed.

Next morning was a bit awkward, as Hermione was awake earlier than usual. She hurried out of the room while Nana finished dressing. Meeting the boys at the entrance, she sighed.

"Hermione's suspicious of me." Husky nodded.

"Makes sense, we were gone all day yesterday. Moving on, we should get Cooro before we eat so we can get to class on time. I doubt we'll be excused for being late." The three of them quickly left. Upon arrival at the hospital, they found Cooro awake and waiting for them, grinning.

"So you feel better then?" Nana asked, relieved. He nodded.

"Better than ever! Let's go!" Smiling, Husky handed over Cooro's bag, which he had grabbed before leaving the dorm that morning. They began walking to the Great Hall. Nana, after a few minutes, told Cooro about the situation with Hermione. He listened, quiet for once, then frowned.

"Distrusting her for not trusting you will lead to more problems. On the other hand," he continued, looking thoughtful, "we can't really say anything without talking to the Headmaster, can we?" Nodding to himself, Cooro went silent.

They reached the Great Hall, which was still rather empty, they'd woken far earlier than the norm for students. Nana glanced around for Hermione, but there was no trace of her; either she'd already eaten or wasn't there yet.

It turned out to be the latter when she walked in, holding a book and looking distracted. She sat at the opposite end of the table and read as she ate, never looking up.

Harry and Ron enter, sitting next to Hermione. None of them seemed to notice the four Anima sitting further down. Eventually, the Hall filled with more students, until it was loud and barely a seat could be found. They leave as soon as the room begins to fill, when their presence might be noticed. Arriving at the classroom before anyone else, even the Professor, they sat outside the room.

"Should we go see Professor Dumbledore before class starts? Or just wait…?" Nana looked at the others. Cooro nodded happily, Husky shrugged, and Senri was silent.

"Let's go!" He began to stand up, but before he was up, a voice stopped him.

"Cooro!" He turned to see Harry running towards him. Skidding to a stop, Harry peered at him.

"Hermione just told us you were sick! Are you okay to go to class?" Ron came up slowly from the same direction Harry had, Hermione whispering in his ear.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine! Madam Pomfrey just wanted me to stay overnight as a precaution." Grinning, Harry began asking about flying conditions for practice that night, while the others stood awkwardly around. The door opened, and Professor McGonagall stood there, surprised there were students outside _before _class started.

"Hello Professor McGonagall! Did you have a nice weekend?" Cooro turned, beaming, to see their teacher, who was now smiling in amusement.

"Quite enjoyable, Cooro. And yourselves?" A brief awkward silence, before he jumped in again.

"It was great! The Quidditch match was awesome!" Nana noted he sounded sincere, which was odd; he hadn't been able to muster up the enthusiasm before. McGonagall smiled again, and let them into the room.

Class went as normally as one with a hyper crow could go. Somehow, he managed to turn the beetle they were changing to buttons bright orange. It was a button, to be sure, but it was still _orange. _He laughed, and pocketed it after receiving points from McGonagall.

As she continued around the room, an unnoticeable smile on her face, a thought crossed her mind.

_Why orange?_

That same question was voiced by Ron as they walked to Charms. In answer, Cooro just laughed again, shrugging.

Lunch rolled around, and after that, a free period. The Anima turned to the others as they ate.

"We have to talk to Dumbledore after lunch, okay?" Nana carefully watched their expressions. All three showed signs of relief, mixed with confusion. All was hidden in their eyes.

"It's okay, we needed to look up something in the library. See you in Potions later?"

"Of course!" They separated, and Nana whispered her findings to Husky. He didn't say anything, but appeared to be in deep thought. Arriving at the door, Cooro turned to them.

"What are you whispering about?" They glanced at each other, then Nana sighed.

"All three of them looked relieved when I said we were meeting Dumbledore. That's all." He nodded, then turned to the door.

"Lemon drop." The gargoyle jumped out of the way, and they ran up the stairs quickly, reaching the door. About to knock, his hand froze just before the door. He leaned in, putting his ear to the door.

"… came from the Malfoy's mansion. No doubt they were trying to contact Voldemort. What I can't figure is why it opened here." That was Remus! Cooro gestured for the others to come closer, but Nana pulled them back, using her ears instead.

'It'll be less suspicious if we're caught,' she mouthed.

"Perhaps some link to Voldemort exists in the school. It isn't incredibly unlikely. He was rather… attached to the school." He was about to continue, but Cooro reached up and knocked.

"Come in." They entered, keeping their faces neutral. After all, they hadn't been caught… right?

"Ah! Just the four I wanted to see! How much did you overhear?" Yeah, they'd been caught. Cooro didn't even bother trying to lie.

"A bit about a 'Voldy-mort' and something about the Malfoys is all, Professor. Hello Remus!" He grinned at the other man in the room, who smiled tiredly. It was near the full moon. The others gave various greetings, then looked at Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled.

"We shall discuss that in a minute. Was there something you wished to tell me?" As usual, Cooro stepped forward.

"Um…. Well, to put it bluntly, our Animas are getting stronger, and we have no idea why." Husky jumped in to explain.

"Before, back in our world, our Anima didn't effect us as much as it does here. Cooro got sick from taking a Pick-Me-Up potion, he fainted and was in the hospital for two days. And the senses we have from our animas are getting stronger." There was more, but he left them out; these were the main ones.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, was deep in thought.

"It may be due to the magic in the air… besides the apparent 'allergy' to human potions, are there any ill-effects?" Remus looked at each of them carefully as they thought.

"None? Well, that's something. Perhaps it will stay like that. We can hope, at the very least. Now, I'm sure you're wondering what Remus was saying earlier?" Receiving three affirmatives (Senri just stared at him), he continued.

"Voldemort was, or is, perhaps, one of the most evil wizards in existence. He wished to kill all Muggles and Muggle-borns, and have Purebloods rule. It was a violent war that ended just ten years ago. Many lives were lost, including the parents of young Mr. Potter." He looked carefully at them before going on.

"The Malfoy's are some of his most devoted servants. We believe they were attempting to raise their Master from the dead." Husky looked confused.

"Can't you already do that? You have ghosts…" Albus was already shaking his head.

"They have that choice, to come back as a specter, and the living do not affect it. There is no known spell to bring back the dead. Apparently, the Malfoy's have found one that is not… known." Remus stepped forward a bit, looking over at Dumbledore.

"You mean forbidden, don't you? Not like the Unforgivable curses, but the Old Magic." The Headmaster nodded, looking disturbed.

"What's Old Magic?" They both looked over at Nana, who was watching them from across the desk.

"Magic from many years ago. It was powerful, but very dangerous. Bloody. I fear this spell may have required sacrifices." Cooro's eyes widened, drawing back a bit. Husky gulped.

"By sacrifices, you mean…"

"Humans. Muggles or wizards, this type of magic usually needs quite a few. This is why it is forbidden. Most of the prisoners at Azkaban wouldn't attempt this." At the mention of this 'Azkaban,' Remus winced slightly. Senri noted this, resolving to ponder it at a later time.

"So… they sacrificed people to get us here?" Cooro asked quietly, looking at the ground.

"Not on purpose, but yes," Seeing the look on his face, Dumbledore continued, "This is not your fault. No-one can fault you for being pulled into this." Nodding, Cooro still looked sad for the poor people that had been killed for this.

"What's Azkaban?" Husky asked, mostly to distract himself from the idea of blood magic.

"The wizard prison, guarded by Dementors. They are creatures that suck all happy feelings, every pleasant memory, from a person, until they feel nothing but despair. It is a punishment only put on the worst of wizard-kind; no-one wants to go there." All shivered at that thought.

"Onto pleasanter business, we believe they have not realized you came through the portal. The spell will seem to have failed."

_That all sounds well and good, but doesn't that mean they'll try again?_ Husky voiced this thought to the adult.

"Fortunately, we are warned ahead this time. This spell requires time; if we have any hint they are trying it again, the Ministry will be informed. Don't worry, you four won't be mentioned." Remus sighed, tired. The moon was wearing on him, and the threat of blood magic certainly didn't help.

"Well, off with you. Your free period is nearly over, and I don't believe Professor Snape will appreciate you being late to class." They left, quiet and a bit scared. A silent pact not to mention any of this to the others was passed.

They began the long walk to the dungeons in silence.

Honestly, this was a bit more meldromatic than I originally intended. But I like how it turned out, and I want this up, so here it goes.

By the way, I'm not an expert on blood magic, so if I screw up anything in later chapters, do tell me. I'm hoping it won't come up too much, but just in case….

Anyway, happy New Year!


	9. Chapter 9

A Twist in History, Chapter Nine

**A.N. **Look! I'm alive! Man, finals were a load of dung, but I survived, and you all benefeit from it in the form of a new chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I tire of these, but here it goes:

I own not a thing,

Give the authors' their due,

Or else I'll stop writing,

And come find you!

Surprisingly for a with such a dangerous secret, there was little time to brood on it. Classes came and went, and before long it was nearing Christmas. The school woke to find they were covered in thick white snow.

The dungeons were cold, far worse than usual. Husky sneezed again, and rubbed his nose. He was a _tropical_ fish, the dungeon was cold. Nana silently handed him a handkerchief, not looking away from the potion in front of her. Cooro gave him a sympathetic look from the next table over.

From the other side of the room, an obnoxious voice rose up, not bothering to keep quiet.

"I do feel sorry for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." Malfoy's cronies laughed, and Cooro turned and stuck out his tongue at him. Harry, who obviously had been the main target of the gibe, ignored him. Malfoy, disgruntled at the lack of response and unwilling to risk detention by continuing to tease him, went back to his work.

Class let out, and sighs of relief at freedom mingled with groans of regret at leaving the small warmth of the flames. The choice to remain inside or not was taken from them when, upon opening the door, a large fur tree was discovered covering the entrance.

"Hi Hagrid, need any help?" Ron moved forward, seeing two feet under the tree that could be mistaken for small seals. A voice spoke from behind the tree.

"Nah, I'm all righ' Ron, thanks."

Cooro and Husky walked out into the hall, having stayed behind to clean up a bit (and attempt to warm Husky up by the fire). They came out just in time to see Ron diving at Malfoy, with Snape running over and yelling. Catching up to the others, both decided it wasn't worth asking about. They followed Hagrid into the hall, which was spectacularly decorated with huge fur trees, holly and mistletoe.

Hagrid was directed toward an empty corner with the tree, but as they went to follow, the Anima were stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"You four are to see the Headmaster immediately." She shooed the other three away, and gestured for them to follow her. It was an awkward silence as they walked down the halls, receiving a few odd looks from passerby.

_Were they in trouble? _It certainly looked like it, McGonagall looking cross and not saying a word, simply dragging them to the Headmaster's with no explanation.

They had arrived, and Cooro, without thinking, began to say the password, before Senri put a hand gently over his mouth with a warning look. McGonagall gave him a look.

"Lemon drop." She gestured for them to go in, but stayed back.

"I have other responsibilities right now. Go on in; he's expecting you." Nodding, they walked in. When they reached the door to the inner office, a voice yelled out in anger:

"This isn't fair!" Nana knocked quickly, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping again.

"Come in," a much calmer voice called out. They opened the door, and had a brief moment of déjà vu when they realized it was Remus* standing there. When he saw them come in, he blushed a bit, looking away.

"Ah, there you are. I have some news, though how you take it may be different than Remus here," Dumbledore smiled and gestured to the other man as he spoke. Husky raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" He was a bit suspicious, and with the outburst they'd heard earlier, it wasn't really a wonder.

"Unfortunately, the spell that transported you here left… traces in the Forest, and to the castle. Now, don't panic," he added, seeing their faces. "All that proves is that it made a hole of some kind that appeared here. There is no reason for them to suspect you came through, or are here.

"However, I am worried that they may search nearby for any signs of their spells completion, and that may lead them to you. All the magic nearby makes it impossible to tell if there are traces of it left on you unless we have the caster." He paused, looking at all of them, over to Lupin, who nodded stiffly, then back.

"All this means, in a nutshell, is that you will be staying with Mr. Lupin for Christmas break." Cooro looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Really? We can stay with Mr. Lupin?" He grinned excitedly, looking at the others, but they looked dubious.

"Won't that just lead them to Mr. Lupin's house?" Remus glanced up at her.

"_Please_ don't call me that. It makes me feel old. Just Remus is fine." She nodded.

"And no, there are sufficient protection spells on Remus' home to keep them from finding you." Husky frowned again.

"Then why not just place them here…?" He cut himself off at the look he got.

"We cannot put them on the school; as I have already said, there is too much magical residue to do so without someone noticing. We'd rather avoid attention. Now, you will be leaving as soon as the holidays start, so you will take the train. I believe Miss Granger is heading home as well, so you will have company."

"What are we going to say to everyone? It'd be kinda weird to just hop on the train without a reason." Husky was still confused, and trying not to show it.

"You may say you are visiting an uncle or a family friend. Anything else?" He waited for a moment, then, when it was obvious that they weren't going to say anything, nodded and looked down.

"You may go." They walked out, feeling a bit out of place.

"Whee~ We get to go on vacation!" Cooro cheered, before looking back at them.

"What is it-" Before he could finish, a cold voice cut him off.

"So even the freaks have somewhere to go over Christmas? I'm shocked." They all turned to see Malfoy standing with his 'friends,' smirking. Cooro frowned.

"Why do you even care?" In any other person, this would have seemed like he was being dramatically tragic, but he looked honestly curious. Malfoy, for his part, spluttered for a moment before scowling and walking away. They arrived at the Common Room at the same time as Ron and Harry came in.

"What did the Headmaster want?" Husky glanced at the books in his arms curiously before answering.

"He was telling us my uncle invited us all to stay at his house for break. Couldn't just send a letter for some reason…" They nodded. Harry noticed the odd looks the four were giving the large stacks of books they carried.

"They're Hermione's…" Nana laughed a bit, but wondered how Hermione had convinced them to carry her books. At least, she wondered until she saw Hermione herself come up with a stack at least twice the size of the boys. Walking inside the Common Room, Nana took the boys books and helped Hermione up the stairs, giggling, and trying to see the cover of the books as she walked.

No luck, though. The titles were obscure and some had no title at all. She sighed as she set them down on Hermione's bed, telling her of their plans.

"Where does his uncle live? Maybe we'll see each other!" Nana froze. They hadn't been told! Not that she'd know where it was anyway, but… Wait!

"Dumbledore told us, but I forgot. I don't know Scotland that well…" Nana grinned sheepishly. Hermione frowned suddenly.

"Wait… didn't you say you were from… Astaria?" Nana blushed a bit, hating to lie. Then she remembered all the lying Hermione had been doing and, steeling herself, continued.

"It's Husky's distant uncle, they were close before he had to move. So they're catching up, and he invited us along." When she went to sleep later, Nana noted two things. One, she needed to tell the boys of this story in case they were asked.

And two. If the look Hermione barely hid when she said that, then Hermione was becoming suspicious.

Break came far faster when you have something to look forward to, Husky noted dully as they boarded the train, stowed their bags in the upper racks, and sat down to wait for Hermione, who had forgotten something and run back inside quickly.

"Where _does _Mr. Lu- Remus live anyway? He never said, did he?" Cooro had brought up Nana's story once again. He wasn't opposed to lying any more than stealing if it was necessary. But he didn't see how any of this was needed, and it was beginning to annoy Nana.

"No, he never said. I think one of us would have remembered if he had." Husky answered shortly, staring out the window. It was snowing, and the flakes hit the window and melted, racing down the pane. Silently betting on which would get to the bottom first, he almost missed the quiet question from behind him.

"They won't actually come here, will they?" Turning fully around, he saw Cooro had curled further into himself, looking at the floor with dull eyes. No-one said a thing. Nana looked at him, a worried expression on her face.

Then, Senri leaned forward, picked Cooro up, and put him in his lap, hugging him and whispering something none of them could hear. Cooro, however nodded, and snuggled into his chest.

When Hermione came in, Cooro had fallen asleep. She didn't say anything, though she did raise an eyebrow, and sat next to Nana. They whispered quietly to each other, and Husky turned to watch the snow again.

It was peaceful. And as all things that are peaceful, it had to end. In this case, it's end was in the form of the door banging open loudly, revealing a blond Slytherin and two gorillas behind him. Cooro startled awake, looking up at Malfoy with surprise. Hermione noted in the back of her mind that he wasn't embarrassed at all waking up in Senri's lap. Maybe it was normal…?

"Well well, what do we have here? Four freaks and a Mudblood?" He glanced over at where Cooro and Senri sat. Senri still had his arms around Cooro's waist, and Cooro was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Ah… I'm sorry, there are two poufs as well." He smirked maliciously, but it disappeared as soon as Cooro opened his mouth.

"What's a pouf?" Hermione giggled behind her hand, as did Nana, who had been told several weeks ago exactly what a pouf was.

_There really isn't any way to answer that without sounding like a complete fool._ Malfoy apparently realized this, and turned to Hermione.

"So, running back to your Muggle parents? Finally realized you don't belong?" She glared at him.

"If we stay at school, our families don't want us. But if we leave, we're running away. Make up your mind, Malfoy. And leave, we were having a nice trip." Husky turned away from the snow to stare at him, knowing full well he was using all he had learned in his father's castle and not caring. Malfoy met his gaze, and faltered. No matter how rich and privileged he was, he was no match for a prince of Sailand. He left, and Nana giggled louder. Soon, every one was laughing, except Husky. He opted to do this instead:

"I will have you know that my father is an even bigger prick than I am, and he _will_ buy me anything I want. That means I'm better than you, _commoners_." He could barely keep a straight face as he said it, lifting his nose in the air as he spoke.

The rest of the ride was without interruptions, though at some point Cooro slipped off of Senri's lap to sit next to him.

When the train arrived at the station, they unloaded their bags and left to look for their families. Hermione set her trunk down and sat on it.

"My parents are going to wait off the platform, they can't get on. What does your uncle look like?" Cooro was about to describe him when Husky cut him off.

"There he is," he said, pointing. They all turned to see Remus coming towards them, wearing a pair of worn jeans and a deep green jacket that had seen better days.

"Ah, there you are! Who's this?" He turned to Hermione, smiling gently.

"This is our friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is my uncle, Remus Lupin." Husky introduced them, subtly slipping in the cover story. Hermione stuck out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Remus winced slightly, but took her hand and shook it.

"Pleasure's all mine. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but we're on a rather tight schedule…" She waved him off.

"It's fine! My parents are waiting off the platform anyway." He smiled, and they walked off to the barrier. Outside, just as she'd said, were Hermione's parents, huddled under an overhang. Pleasantries were exchanged, and Remus rushed them out to the parking garage, apologizing once more before leaving.

"How are we going to get to your house?" Nana asked, looking around for a fireplace or Portkey of some kind.

"We'll be driving, and it's more of a cabin than a house, per say. It's secluded, and takes a while to reach, which is why I was rushing us out. Come on." He led them to a mini-van that had been out-dated for several years. However, once their things were loaded and they had clambered inside, they saw the interior was well-cared for. When Remus started the engine, it was quiet, not the roar they'd been expecting.

The ride was quiet, as one by one, the kids fell asleep to the sound of the engine.

Several hours later, Husky awoke to the engine shutting off. The snow had stopped, and as he glanced out the window, he saw they were in front of a rather large cabin. It had two floors, a porch, and what looked like a garden of some kind in the back. Shaking his head, he climbed out, shaking Cooro's shoulder on his way, waking the crow. When they were all out, Remus smiled tiredly at them and walked to the door.

"Welcome to my home. Your rooms are upstairs, follow me." Inside, the found a well-lit foyer, with stairs leading up. Those were what Remus led them up. At the top was a hallway themed in red and gold, with several doors on either side.

"The first two doors on either side are yours. The one on the end in mine. Go ahead and unpack, I'll go make something to eat." He left, and the four of them slowly chose rooms. Each one had a bed, dresser, desk and chair. All was in red and gold, a bit muted, presumably so the person wouldn't be overwhelmed by the color.

Downstairs, they found a thick stew cooking on the stove, and four mugs of hot chocolate. Sitting down, they each took one. There was a short silence. Nana broke it.

"Why do you have such a big house? Is it a family home?" Remus looked at her a bit sadly.

"During the war, we used this house as a hideout. That's why it has so many protection spells on it. And before you ask, a friend did the color scheme upstairs. He said it reminded him of Hogwarts." He chuckled as he said this, but the sad look never left his eyes. Cooro watched him for a moment.

"This place… makes you sad, doesn't it?" Remus jumped a bit, looking over at him.

"It was filled with happy memories, people trying to make the best of things… but so many are dead, injured, lost someone… some of them even turned to the other side. Now those memories are just empty." He shook his head.

"I shouldn't worry you like that, you're too young to have to deal with it-" Cooro jumped up, grinning.

"We'll make new memories! Then it won't be so sad living here, right M- Remus?" He looked at him hopefully. Slowly, Remus grinned.

"Sure." He stood up, walking over to the stove. Dinner was finished and eaten, with a bit of light conversation with no real point. School was mentioned fleetingly, magical creatures in excess, and plans for decoration a lot.

"We need to decorate! It makes things fun!" Cooro yelled loudly when Remus said that he didn't bother decorating because he was the only one at the house. Finally, it was late, they were all full, and went upstairs to bed. Splitting at the top of the stairs, Cooro watched Remus walk down the long hallway as the other three went into their rooms.

_He must feel lonely walking past all these empty rooms every night._


	10. Chapter 10

A Twist In History, Chapter Ten

**A.N. **This originally said Happy Valentines Day, but I took so long writing it I may as well say happy Spring.

**Disclaimer: **I give up. If you really think I own this stuff, you're off your trolley.

The day dawned bright and clear, with the sun sparkling on the freshly-fallen snow. The four children raced downstairs to find Remus already awake, sipping a mug of coffee and reading _The Daily Prophet._ He looked up with a tired smile.

"Morning. What would you like for breakfast?" After a fierce mini-debate between Husky and Cooro, they ended up having toast and apple jam. Remus chuckled as they fought, and Senri noted he seemed happier than before.

Breakfast eaten, and the mess from the food fight that had developed over the jam cleaned, the five of them looked outside to see that everything was covered by thick white snow. Husky glanced at the snow, to Cooro, sighed, and began to count.

_3... 2... 1... _

"Let's make a snowman!" And there it was. He groaned as Nana agreed, knowing he'd never get out of it now. Remus was no help, laughing and saying he had some warmer coats for them to use in the basement. They follow him there, and find piles of boxes and trunks, forming strange halls and tunnels throughout the room. Remus has no trouble navigating through the mess, saying it was organized in a way.

They reach a wall, where Remus pulls out a few boxes and opens them, revealing winter clothing of every type, size and colour. They stared, and Cooro speaks up.

"What is all of this stuff? You said people stayed here, but didn't they come back for their things?" Remus sighs, slumping down against the wall.

"Some did. Some don't want this stuff back, it has bad memories. Some of this stuff is from before the war, old heirlooms of the families that lived here before. I believe they were my cousins. As for the rest, well… plenty can't come back to collect it." No-one spoke, standing awkwardly, until Cooro walked forward and hugged Remus. Nothing was said. Finally, Remus pulled away.

"Well! Your snowman won't build itself! There should be something in here that'll fit…" There was. Three coats for the boys, Cooro's in red, Husky's blue, and Senri's green. Nana ended up in a light purple cloak, and Remus already had a coat, so they collected some extra pieces for the snowman and went outside.

As it turned out, Nana had no idea how to make a snowman, so they spent a bit explaining exactly how to roll the snow so it was in a ball-shape. It was a good hour before it was done, and despite the clear morning, it began to snow again, hiding their tracks and making everything appear white.

"There! It's done!" Cooro yelled, sitting on Senri's shoulders to put the head on the snowman that stood proudly in the yard. Nana frowned.

"It doesn't _look _done…" Husky rolled his eyes.

"It's not, we still need to give it arms and a face." Remus went inside, re-emerging with a carrot, a pipe, and a few small bits of coal. He handed them to Nana.

"Would you do us the honor of adding these?" he asked, grinning. "Senri and I can find some sticks for arms. Come on," he gestured for Senri to follow him as he walked toward some trees. After setting Cooro down, he did so, leaving the three of them standing there. Nana glanced at the objects in her hand in confusion.

"What are these for?" Husky glanced at her in amusement.

"Carrot is the nose, coal in the eyes and mouth, and the pipe goes in the mouth. You've really never done this?" She shook her head, but said nothing. Walking forward, she placed the pieces on the face, arranging the features in a slightly lopsided smile. Just as she added the pipe, Senri walked back, carrying two long mostly-straight sticks, followed by Remus.

"Ooh~ Can I put them on?" Cooro asked excitedly, reaching forward. Senri handed the twigs over, and they became the 'arms' of the snowman. Husky handed the extra hat, gloves, and scarf they'd brought out to Remus.

"Your turn." Smiling, he put the remaining pieces on, and the snowman stood proudly in the snow. They all grinned at their final creation, until…

"Hey Husky!" He half-turned, only to get hit in the chest with a snowball. Glaring over at the innocent-looking crow, he growled out,

"Why you-" and scooped up a handful of snow.

When the war was finally over, no-one was dry, but everyone was laughing as they trooped inside. Remus left as they shed their coats and sat around the fire, and came back with mugs of hot chocolate, which were received happily.

It was quiet as they sat there. It had gotten late during the snowball fight, the sun low on the horizon already and sinking fast. Finally, Cooro sighed, leaning back and smiling drowsily.

"That was fun… what should we do tomorrow?" They looked at each other curiously, then at Remus, who shrugged. Senri looked up.

"Decorate…?" Husky glanced around the room.

"He's right, there isn't much in here, is there?" Nana nodded, sipping her cocoa delicately. Remus too glanced around, sighing ruefully.

"Haven't had the time. This is the first time I've been able to relax in a while, helping out Dumbledore. Now you're going to run me dry here." He grinned as Nana and Cooro both began to apologize.

"Don't worry, this place needs some cheering up anyway." He stood. "I'll make some supper, please wait here." Nana started to get up as well.

"Can I help?" After a pause, he nodded, and they left. The boys sat there in silence, feeling they should have offered to help but not wanting to get in the way at this point (and risk Nana's wrath). Nobody moved until Nana called that the food was ready.

Entering the kitchen, they found that a quick meal of meat pies had been conjured up (perhaps literally), with hot rolls and mashed potatoes to go with it. As they were in a wizard's house, the speed at which the meal had been prepared was overlooked.

As they ate, topics of discussion varied from school work to what kinds of wildlife were in the nearby woods. By the time the food was done, it was very late, and the Anima were drowsy from the play and the warm food. Remus shooed them off to bed, saying he had 'something to do first.' Not even the hyperactive Cooro stayed awake much longer than the time it took his head to hit the pillow.

Next morning, they awoke so early, neither Remus nor the sun were conscious to greet them. Cooro was the first to get out of bed, slipping down the stairs to the kitchen. He was munching on an apple as Husky and Senri came down, followed by a sleepy Nana. She appeared to be a bit perturbed at being awake so early.

"Then why are you down here?" Husky asked her after she voiced her displeasure.

"Because I heard you three come down and can't sleep now." She glared at him so angrily that they stayed silent as they ate a makeshift breakfast of fruit, bread and cheese. Finished, Cooro sat there silently, looking out a window in a daze. Husky found himself silently counting.

_3... 2... 1..._

"We should decorate before Remus wakes up!" Nana looked up in a half-glare, Senri stared, and Husky raised an eyebrow.

"Where, exactly, are we going to find decorations?"

" And keep it down! Remus is still sleeping!" Nana hissed, glancing around in worry. Cooro shrugged.

"I saw a box of stuff in the basement." Husky resisted the urge to face palm.

"So. We're going to not only snoop, but also dig through the possessions of our host, all in the second day of us being here?" Cooro pouted.

"But… It'd be nice for him to wake up to the house looking nice… and we're already diggin' in his stuff, we just ate some." Cue face palm.

Without waiting to see if anyone would go with him, Cooro made his way to the basement, navigating through the trunks carefully, trying to remember where he'd seen the box with decorations. As he walked, a door near the stairs opened up, and a tired Remus slipped out, neither seeing Cooro nor being seen by the happy crow. Remus made his way upstairs, again unnoticed, as Nana and Husky were arguing, and fell asleep in his own bed.

Cooro, meanwhile, had found the box. It was much larger than he had anticipated, and he was straining his arms just to get it on the floor from it's stack. Just as he was about to start pushing it to the stairs, two arms shot out from behind him and lifted the box into the air. Cooro turned.

"Senri!" Smiling happily, he and Senri walked up the stairs and set the box down in the living room. Husky and Nana came in as they opened the box, revealing a tree stand, ornaments, a tree star, garland and tons of other knick knacks for various parts of the house. Husky sighed, knowing he wouldn't get out of decorating now that the box had been brought up.

Cooro quickly decided that they needed a tree.

"What's Christmas without a tree? Me'n Senri can go get one, and you two can put up the rest of the decorations!" They had no chance to argue, as Cooro had dragged Senri out of the room before anyone could argue.

Sighing, they both got to work, trying to be as quiet as they could. As Husky hung a garland around the mantle, Cooro and Senri came back with a pine tree.

_Where did they get that? _Neither of them wanted to ask this out loud. The tree was stood up and decorated as quickly as possible. There were several muted but furious arguments over very… _unique_ ornaments, but eventually the tree was decorated and sparkling nicely in the light from the recently-risen sun. They stared at it for a few minutes, as though shocked it was actually standing.

A quiet gasp comes from behind them.

Startled, they turned to find Remus standing behind them, looking all around. His eyes were drawn to the tree in particular, focusing on a red and gold ornament that hung in front. Finally, he looks at the four of them. Three were covered in pine needles, two in dust, and one in flour.

"I can't believe you four decided to rifle through my things." At their crestfallen faces, he grinned like it was Christmas already. "And yet, I can't find it in me to be angry." Now they were all grinning. He leaned back on his haunches a bit, regarding them all.

"Now, let me see… you boys put up the tree. Cooro and Senri got the boxes. But why in Merlin's name are you covered in flour, Nana?" She looked at herself, then blushed.

"Oh! I didn't see what a mess I'd made- I made pancakes for you, though I'm not sure how well they turned out…" As it happened, they were perfect, or Remus said they were. As the children had eaten far earlier, he was the only one to sample them. By this time, it was rather late in the morning. Remus looked at the tree again, contemplative.

"As it happens, I have a few things to put under it. If you'll excuse me?" He walked carefully up the stairs. Nana frowned.

"We don't have anything, do we?" Husky shook his head. She sighed, but Cooro jumped up, excited.

"We could make some gifts! It's not like we don't do that for each other, so why not?" They glanced at each other. It was cheesy, but…

"Why not?" Husky voiced the second half of the thought.

"Why not what?" Remus had returned, setting down a small armful of brightly-wrapped gifts under the tree.

"Nothing!" All four responded simultaneously. He froze, then turned and regarded them with mock-suspicion.

"The last time I heard that kind of answer, I was giving it, and I am most certain it wasn't nothing." He looked them over again, and, when he got no response, sighed and grinned again.

"I'll let it go, but now I'm afraid I'm on my guard." The grin dropped, replaced with a rueful look.

"Now, I do apologize, but I have a previous engagement that I must attend to. I'll have to leave you four to entertain yourselves here. I would take you to Diagon Alley, but Dumbledore doesn't want you out from under the protection spells without supervision. I believe I can trust you for a few hours?"

Receiving nods all around, he gave them a final look, then Apparated out with a loud _Crack!_

They looked at each other, and slowly, plotting grins replaced innocent smiles, before they all dashed off in different directions to try and make a decent gift to the sad werewolf they were spending their holiday with.

_Sorry this is so short, but I wanted to get it out ASAP, as I can't remember exactly when my last update was._


	11. Chapter 11

A Twist in History, Chapter 10

**AN: **Look! I'm actually alive! Anyway, I'm going to try and speed up this story, as somehow real time has passed up the book, so here's a new chapter.

Side question, how do you feel on yaoi? It won't effect how the story will go, I just want to know my fan base. (If you don't know what that is, never mind)

**Disclaimer:** I would hope a real author is more on time with writing, and I would also hope you can all tell that I'm not one.

Several days later, Senri went outside to find Cooro looking out at the snow. Silently, he walked up behind him and simply gazed across as well. Neither of them said anything.

Finally, Cooro looked up at him, grinning happily.

"Isn't this nice, Senri? We get to spend Christmas together! Without having to worry about paying for food." He added the last bit as an afterthought, laughing. Senri smiled lightly, then pulled him back towards the house behind them.

"In a minute, I want to look at the snow a bit more." Senri hesitated, nodded, and went inside. Nana looked up from where she sat mending something of Remus'.

"He's outside then?" When he nodded, she looked back down at her task. "OK. Thanks, Senri." Husky walked into the room at that moment, looked around for one moment, then laughed.

"You two look like some married couple!" He fell into another round of laughter, which only got worse when Nana turned bright red.

"W- we do not!" Husky couldn't answer, he was still chuckling. Remus walked in, raised an eyebrow at Husky, then sat down on the couch across from Nana.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." She glanced at him, still rather red.

"It's fine, I like-" At that moment, the door opened and Cooro ran in, giggling. Behind him, the door momentarily revealed thickly falling snow before the door slammed shut. Cooro slumped against the door, panting. When he looked up, the rooms occupants were staring at him in a bemused way.

"It was all nice and peaceful, and then WHAM! Snow out of nowhere! Couldn't see a thing!" He leaned back against the door. For all of three seconds. Then he jumped back up and ran over the others.

"Let's play a game!" Grinning a bit at his antics, Nana set aside her mending and looked up at him.

"What should we play? Nothing with teams, remember." Cooro didn't even pause to think.

"Hide 'n' Seek, of course! We haven't played for _forever_!" After a bit of bantering with Husky, it was decided they all would play. The children were surprised when Remus agreed to play as well, and knew the rules to boot.

"I'm not a Pureblood (1), I know a few games." This was accompanied by a rare grin, one that looked more like Cooro's than anything else.

Cooro, for introducing the idea, was It. After muttering déjà vu, Husky reluctantly ran to hide under the couch, where he knew Cooro wouldn't look. It was too obvious!

… Turns out, it wasn't. Husky was the first one found. Grumbling slightly, he sat down on top of his former place of concealment and waited for the others to be found.

Christmas Eve. That was the date, he supposed. Holidays hadn't been big for him in the palace, and were non-existent during his stay at the circus. He shuddered slightly at the memory, before sighing, leaning back onto the couch and closing his eyes.

A loud banging sounded from upstairs, signaling that it was time to head up and see what Cooro was doing.

Upstairs, Husky found Remus barely able to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard. He edged around him to find Cooro sitting on the floor, looking very confused and sporting a lion's mane and tail. He glanced behind him to see the closed doorway at the end of the hall. Cooro looked up, tail swishing.

"You have no idea how odd that feels." Husky burst out laughing, and joined Remus near the wall.

Nana poked her head out of whatever room she'd been hiding in to see what the commotion was. Spotting Cooro, she giggled. Cooro stood up, and glanced at the door behind him. He let out a surprised cry.

On the door, glowing red and gold letters stood out against the wood. They certainly hadn't been there before.

'_This Room and everything in it is the Property of one messr. Padfoot.'_ Below it was an animated picture of a hand. Flipping the bird. Remus seemed to have calmed down, until he saw the writing and began all over again.

Senri eventually emerged, and seemed to be the only one concerned that the crow boy now theoretically would have an urge to eat himself. Walking over, he scooped him up and ran downstairs. The others followed, sobering up a bit.

Remus walked over to where Senri was setting Cooro on the couch, pulling out his wand.

"Don't worry, it's relatively simple to fix. Just give me a moment…" It took several moments, with Remus becoming steadily more amused and annoyed. Finally, Cooro was back to normal, though his hair was slightly golden. He grinned sheepishly as Nana voiced a query.

"What did you _do?"_ They were all sitting around the living room again, game forgotten, drinking hot chocolate that Remus had conjured up.

"I tried to open the door at the end of the hall." Husky shook his head.

"What is in there, anyway?" They looked over at Remus, who grinned.

"Couldn't tell you. It was Pad's room, and he spelled it when he started staying here." He grinned, though it looked a bit sad, and then continued.

"Funny story, that. See, that particular spell was rather infamous in our class because, back in third year…"

_Remus walked down the hall as slowly as possible, hoping that, if he was lucky, James had forgotten his plan. _

_No such luck._

_Arriving at the Common Room, he found James standing at the bottom of the Girl's Dorm stairs. Again. Being egged on by his supposed best-friend, one Sirius Black. Remus had a suspicion he was trying to get the Potter boy killed._

_James noticed him come in, and practically _ran_ up to the stairs, quickly adopting the strange scuttle that was required to make it up the stairs safely. Remus sighed as he reached the spot James had vacated only a moment ago. Sirius looked over at him and grinned in a maniacal way._

"_Hey Moony! I didn't see you at lunch-"_

"_Pads."_

"_- And we thought you might be in the library, but Peter said you weren't…"_

"_Sirius."_

"… _But then again, Pete said he wanted to go to the kitchens, so he might not have even made it to the library…"_

"_BLACK!" Sirius looked up, a bit startled._

"_What?" Remus sighed again, wondering why his friends were so thick._

"_What did you convince James to do to Lily this time?" Sirius's grin faltered a bit. The last time Remus had looked that angry, he'd had green hair for a month. _

_Not that the spell should have lasted that long, but Remus had somehow found a stronger one than the one taught in class, and used it the first chance he had._

"_Heh…well, I caught him writing poetry in class," Remus had to stifle a chuckle at that. "And it was about Evans. Again. So I told him he should give it to her." Remus wasn't convinced._

"_And how-" Sirius cut him off_

"_Hush, now, I ain't done! So anyway, he thought it needed work, one thing led to another, and now he's going to serenade her in her dorm room. With flowers, I think." Remus stared at him._

"_Are you _trying_ to get him killed?! You remember last time, don't you?" Sirius blanched. Evans didn't appreciate the flowers last time, apparently. She'd chased James down the halls cursing for over an hour._

"_And besides, she isn't there…" Whatever he had meant to finish with was cut off by a loud screeching, followed by a couple of thumps, and James then came tumbling down the stairs. He hit the bottom, groaned and slowly stood._

"_I don't know why I try sometimes… And I'm never listening to you again, Pads." He turned to look at them._

"_Hey, I just said to read it…" He broke off in the middle of the sentence, presumably due to his loud barking laughter at their friend. Remus covered his mouth, barely concealing a smile._

_James' head, instead of being covered with messy back hair, instead had a thick skin of green scales, like a hood. He was staring at them, bewildered._

"_What's so funny?" Subconsciously, he reached up to brush back his hair. Eyes widening, he slowly felt his head, then glanced at them in fear._

"_She didn't…" _

"… And that was about when she came in. I don't think any of us had seen her laugh that hard. Ever." Remus grinned at the end, obviously seeing the whole event in his mind's eye. The children were giggling at the story, wondering how long it took to get the snake skin off.

Remus suddenly straightened as the clock in the hall struck eleven.

"Time to sleep, its Christmas tomorrow." Ignoring their complaints, he ushered them up the stairs to their rooms, laughing.

Next morning, like so many winters before it, was rather dark. The snow hadn't stopped, or had stopped and started again while they were sleeping. Regardless, the thick wall of snow was steadily growing anywhere they could see through the haze of falling flakes.

Not that this bothered any of them. All four children were in the kitchen, making breakfast on Nana's commands. Remus was presumably still asleep, though no-one knew for sure and no-one wanted to check and risk waking him up.

However, with the food nearly done, it became necessary to find him. Cooro volunteered immediately to go up. Husky suspected he wanted to check out the cursed door again. However, no-one objected, so he went happily up the stairs while Husky sighed and listened to what Nana was saying about pancakes.

Cooro walked to the end of the hall, straight to the door at the end. The one that he had tried to open yesterday. He stopped in front of it, thinking. He hadn't told the others about a few things from the incident. One was that Remus had come _out_ of that room when he had heard Cooro hit the floor. Another was that Remus had gone into that room every night.

'_Is there a secret to getting in? Knock three times or something?'_ Cooro didn't think that was likely, but this was the Wizarding world, almost anything is possible. He reached forward and knocked on the door carefully. Nothing happened, and he was about to try again when the door opened, revealing Remus with a rather confused expression.

"Cooro… what…" Cooro, a bit surprised that the door had opened, had jumped backwards. Now he took a step forward and hugged remus around the waist.

"Merry Christmas! We made breakfast! Well, mostly Nana, but we helped! It's all done now, so we wanted to wake you up before it gets cold." Remus nodded, looking a bit tired, and Cooro noted his eyes were a bit red.

"Are you alright?" Remus frowned in confusion, then nodded, smiling a bit.

"Just a bit tired, that's all. Now, we wouldn't want to keep the others waiting, would we?" Cooro shook his head, excited again, and they went down the hall to the stairs.

"Hey, Remus?" He looked over at him, wondering how to ask this.

"Yes…?" Remus was rather hesitant to answer him. He recognized that tone of voice, and didn't feel like explaining the situation.

"How'd you get into the room? Is there a trick to it?" Remus blinked. Well… that wasn't _quite_ what he had been expecting.

"Not quite… he just cast the spell to allow certain people in is all." Cooro looked disappointed at the simple answer, but left it at that and they descended the stairs in silence.

The kitchen was full of delicious smells when they entered. Bacon, coffee, pancakes, burning batter… wait…

Cooro blinked at the last smell, and looked around to find a plate of scorched _something _on the table. He looked up to see Husky glaring at him, and bit back the question of what it was. They sat and ate, with the children jumping and twitching in their seats as they slowly got antsy for the pile of presents under the carefully decorated tree in the other room.

Finally, they all were done eating and sitting around the tree, opening the carefully-wrapped gifts that had lain below it. Remus had gotten them all books; Senri's was about potions, Cooro's on flying creatures, Nana's on household charms, and Husky's on the history of Hogwarts. Remus himself had gotten a small carved charm from Senri, a scarf from Nana, and a bottle of potion from Cooro and Husky. He regarded this last oddly.

"It was Husky's idea… We thought it might relieve the pain from transforming every month." Remus looked over at them in mild surprise.

"What is it, exactly?"

"Kind of like a pick-me-up, made with a focus so it can combat the worst problems of that species…" He trailed off, looking awkward. The potion was a bit of an oddity, pieced together back in their world and altered a bit when they came to Hogwarts. Remus whistled, causing Cooro and Husky to look up at him.

"You developed your own Potion in first year? That's some skill there." He grinned at them, and Cooro smiled happily. Husky laughed a bit at his face, sitting back and looking out the window.

The children had given each other hand-made gifts, as they had for many other holiday's before, though Husky somehow produced a flower pin with real gems for Nana. He claimed he'd gotten it before they'd come through the portal. Nana was flipping through her book and Cooro was explaining how he had made the potion to Remus when two things happened.

One, an owl tapped on the window, which got Cooro's attention immediately. He ran over to let the poor shivering creature inside.

The other was a voice called "Remus!" From the fireplace. While Cooro tended the owl, the others looked for the source of the noise and saw a head floating in the fire.

Well. _That _was certainly different.

However, Remus didn't seem to find it strange at all, walking over and addressing the disembodied head.

"Hello Alastor. Happy Christmas." He sat down in front of the flames, looking at the face within that they could now see had only one normal eye; the other was spinning crazily around centering on them while the other focused on Remus.

"Happy Christmas. Those them?" The man, Alastor, had a gruff voice, and his face almost resembled one of the logs he floated over, scarred and rough. Remus nodded at his query.

"Yes, would you like me to introduce you…?" Alastor was already shaking his head.

"No, that's all right. Mind if I drop over there? Need to talk to you, and this isn't a great way to do so." Remus nodded once again, and the head disappeared with a small pop.

Cooro was still tending the bird, untying the letter on it's leg and drying off it's feathers as carefully as he could. The owl was staying completely still except for a few small shivers. Remus picked up the note, and the owl hooted half-heartedly at him before closing it's eyes. He looked over the letter and was about to open it when a CRACK! filled the room and the man from the fire appeared in front of the front door. Remus smiled at him.

"No time like the present, eh Alastor?" He grinned, setting the letter down and walking toward their guest.

"We don't have much time, Remus. I need to see them now, if you don't mind." Both turned to look at the children who, with the exception of Cooro, were watching them suspiciously. Husky moved slightly in front of Nana.

"Jumpy bunch, aren't you?" The newcomer walked forward, watching as they stiffened and chuckling.

"You didn't mention I was coming, did you, Remus?" Remus shook his head, before turning to the children.

"Don't be so panicked. This is a friend of mine and Dumbledore's, Alastor Moody. He's simply here to see whether there are traces of magic left on you from the portal." Moody looked them over.

"Not a bad idea to be cautious, Remus. Constant vigilance; that's how I survived." He walked towards them, glancing at Cooro.

"You wouldn't have lived." Nana gasped and Husky looked at him startled, but Cooro looked at him.

"If Remus trusts you, then it would be silly of me to be scared. And the owl is cold; I didn't want to startle it." Nana giggled a bit, stifling it when he looked back at her. He frowned at Cooro, then glanced at Remus.

"I can't see any magic on them. Do you want me to look deeper, or are you satisfied?" Senri walked over to Cooro, passing Moody in the process, and the crazy eye followed him. He stopped and stared at it, confusion clear even on his face. Moody turned to look at him closely.

"There's something on you eye-patch…" He reached forward, but Senri stepped backward quickly, and Cooro dove in front of him, somehow settling the owl carefully on the chair he'd been in before launching himself across the room. Nana and Husky were tensed again, standing in between Remus and the situation.

Moody raised an eyebrow at their reactions. Remus stepped forward slightly, trying not to startle the paranoid children.

"The patch keeps him from… ah…" he hesitated, before another voice finished the story.

"From going on a murderous rampage and killing you all." They all turned to look at him, and Husky sighed.

'_This is going to take a while…'_ And it did. It was nearly two hours later when their entire story had been told, with slight altercations. Such as leaving out all of the incident with the stolen Animas and Blanca. Moody stopped them often to ask questions, frowning most of the time. Remus was silent. When Husky finished with how they got there, he finally looked up.

"You left something out." It was a blunt statement that made Husky stare at him. Cooro looked up at them, then down at the floor he was currently sitting on.

"Remember how we said turning in Animas was common in our world?" Remus looked over at him, eyes widening a bit.

"I was brought to the main government lab for observation, or something like that. The man in charge was creating an 'angel,' who he called Blanca. He wanted her to have all Animas, so he developed a way to take them out of people.

"Most were happy. They saw it as a curse. But others wanted it, so he found ways to give them to people. It was temporary, though. That's just not how it works.

"The man in charge wanted mine, but he instead asked me to go out and get more Anima. When I came back, I'd give him mine…" Cooro didn't really want to finish.

"So, did you escape?" Husky looked over at Moody, raising an eyebrow.

"He went back. And gave him his Anima." Now all eyes were on Husky, and Senri quietly took Cooro upstairs.

"We don't know what happened to the man, or Blanca. They went flying and disappeared. Cooro left right after the procedure and went to the village where he was born." Moody was frowning.

"Didn't you say that you need to be in danger to get an Anima? How's the kid still got one?" Husky shook his head, and Nana cut in.

"We don't know. The wings sprouted out of his back when we found him. He was surrounded by crows… I think he got the same one back, but it isn't exactly a common thing, we can't ask anyone if they know what happened." Husky watched Moody closely. Despite Remus' assurances, he didn't trust him at all. Remus sighed.

"Well, I am sorry that you had to go through that story. No doubt it was horrible enough without us asking about it." He looked over at Moody.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to stay for dinner, can I?" Moody shook his head.

"I have a few other places I need o be. Sorry to have interrupted your holiday." He was about to leave the building when he turned around a bit.

"Say goodbye for me, will-" He was cut off, as people tended to be anywhere near their little group.

"You're leaving already?" Cooro leaped down the last few stairs, followed by Senri. He walked over to him. Moody nodded, both eyes centered on the boy. Who smiled at him happily.

"Merry Christmas!" Moody gave a surprised "Merry Christmas" in return, nodded at the room, and walked out. His eye examined all of them as he left, and noted that they looked almost like a family.

_A bizarre one, anyway…_

And he left, pondering the strange tale they'd told.

_Wow! Can't believe I actually wrote a chapter. Well, I could have done this better, but on the whole, I like it. Didn't want to end on a note like that one, but that's what happened. _

_Have a nice weekend!_


	12. Chapter 12

A Twist in History, Chapter 12

**A.N. **Is it sad that I only just noticed I wrote chapter 10 on that last one?

Anyway, I won't be getting anymore history homework, and since that was my biggest problem with updating, these should be faster.

I was told that this chapter was in all underlines, so I'm going to try and re-upload it. Can someone tell me if this works? Cause it doesn't show up here.

**Disclaimer**: … Forget this; you all know I don't own anything.

The rest of the holidays passed too quickly, in Husky's mind. He wasn't looking forward to leaving the peaceful house for the noisy castle. It reminded him too much of his father's castle, despite the distinct lack of stepmothers trying to kill him.

He shook his head quickly, trying to dispel the unpleasant thoughts. They were driving to the train station, with Remus apologizing for not being able to use the Floo Network.

"It's fairly difficult to get through when students are going to school, and I have things to do in town anyway." They assured him it was fine with them.

"Cars are cool! I've never been in one before we came here!" Cooro was far more excited to ride in it when there was no snow blocking the view. The view was beautiful English countryside, and the children had no problems watching it go by in silence.

The platform wasn't terribly crowded, until when they reached Platform 9 ¾. Many students were milling around, talking to family and finding friends, and generally being obnoxious to those who preferred the quiet. Like Husky, who sighed and turned to Remus and the others as they walked onto the platform.

"Thanks for having us for Christmas, Remus…"

"Yeah, it was really fun!" Cooro was still hyped up, and Husky wondered vaguely if he had had some candy while no-one was paying attention.

"Will you be okay alone there?" Nana looked a bit worried, but Remus smiled.

"It was my pleasure to have you four. I'll be fine, Nana. I have lived there for several years." As she was still frowning, he continued.

"Besides, I am expecting some visitors soon, and I'll be traveling to France in a few weeks to see a few old friends. Don't worry." Nana opened her mouth, to say what, no-one knew, because the whistle announcing the train was loading sounded loudly.

Remus waved them all forward.

"You don't want to be late, not go." And they left, loading their things into an empty compartment, waving goodbye as Remus walked back to the Muggle world and watching for Hermione as the crowds thinned to the latecomers and parents who were saying their farewells.

Hermione did end up coming in, a few minutes after the train left and panting. She grinned sheepishly.

"Car broke down… Barely made it…" Nana moved over to give her a seat and they talked about vacation. Moody was mentioned, though the reasons for his visit (and his appearance) were left out.

Hermione had spent the holiday with her extended family in Wales, and was telling them of some escapade of a distant cousins when the door slid open in an obnoxious manner that had them all looking up in surprise.

A group of older students were standing there, looking at them with surprise that faded quickly to contempt. Even from the other side of the compartment, Husky could see the Slytherin badges gleaming proudly on their chests, as they were already in their school robes.

"Well, look what I found! Some Mudblood trash in _our_ compartment. What should we do about it?" This came from the one in front, who turned back to look at the others in amusement. Cooro looked around in bewilderment.

"This is _your_ compartment…? I don't see your things or anything. And I'm pretty sure we were in here before you were. Doesn't that make this _ours_?" I started slightly, as his tone faded from his usual obliviousness to a sarcastic, snarky version of it, with a smirk to match. It really wasn't like him.

The look faded to a normal grin while the students glared, and the front one took a step forward.

"See, here's the thing. We _always_ sit here; it's reserved for us. So why don't you make like rats and scurry. Preferably under the train." He stepped forward again, only to find a tall bear anima standing in front of him, glowering as his arm glowed faintly under his sleeve.

Senri didn't say anything, simply staring until the other boy turned away. No-one could withstand the power of his stare, except perhaps Moody. Senri frowned a bit at the thought. That didn't count; the eye gave him an unfair advantage.

The Slytherin boy, meanwhile, was in a bit of a predicament. On the one hand, he didn't want to lose face in front of his mates, but he _really_ didn't want to try and force Senri to do anything. The blank scare was creepy.

The decision was taken from him as another voice came from the hall.

"Oi! Either go in or get out of the way! Some of us have places to be besides waiting for you to make a decision!" The group glanced at their 'leader' of sorts, who shrugged.

"Not worth the effort. Let's go." They left, and another head poked through the open doorway. Cooro smiled as he recognized the older Slytherin.

"You're that girl who helped our friends!" She gave them all an once-over, lingering on Cooro as he spoke.

"You're the wing-boy." He nodded, not noticing that it almost sounded like an insult as it passed from her lips to open air.

"Well, I'm Marcella. Nice to meet'cha, goodbye." She left, and when Cooro inevitably ran to the door and looked out, she was already gone, probably disappearing into one of the many compartments on either side of theirs. He looked at them from his place in slight disappointment, before plopping down next to Senri and began asking random questions that no-one could answer.

Finally, Husky groaned loudly.

"What's with you?! We don't know where magic comes from, why do you keep asking?" Cooro looked at him with a small smile.

"No reason. But isn't it odd we have magic at all? It's not exactly common back home, you know…" Husky had no answer, and Hermione pondered once again where they could be from; the country names they'd mentioned their first night didn't exist, she was sure, but she didn't know how to ask without seeming to be a nosy busybody.

Nana was thinking on his question. Why did they get their magic? They'd been told that young witches and wizards showed signs of it within a few years, and none of them had ever shown anything. They'd been getting their animas at the time.

Cooro kept at his questions, effectively ruining any chance for them to think.

Hours later, the questions had subsided and Cooro was once again asleep, leaning on Senri's shoulder while the others talked quietly, swapping horror stories for lack of anything else to do.

The train arrived at the Hogsmeade station just as the sun disappeared under the horizon, boarding the carriages and riding to the school in silence. The large crowd that disembarked the carriages was far quieter than they'd been on their way onto the train, and separated to go to their rooms in near silence. The five first years fell into the crowd of Gryffindors traveling to their beds.

Sleep welcomed them like they hadn't seen him in years, pulling them into his realm as soon as their heads graced their pillows.

No matter how much Sleep argued with them, however, Dawn and Wake both pulled his guests back to them to face another day, though happily their brother Work wasn't paying a visit for another few days.

None of them were willing to leave Sleep's company, but his sisters were stubborn, and they were soon all awake and in the Great Hall, eating toast and eggs, laughing at the stories their friends had to tell of their break. Hermione was talking the most, as her extended family was full of strange tales and talents that had the others rolling in their seats with mirth.

Soon, though, it became time to finish any (Read: ALL) homework left until the last minute, with Hermione now breathing down their necks, mixing her advice with many lectures on 'not leaving these things until the last minute!'

It was done a few hours before dinner the next day, and Cooro wanted to go outside, to do what, nobody was quite sure of. They would never know, either, as Senri pointed out the heavy snow that was once again coming down on the castle, piling up on trees and windowsills. Ron laughed at his expression, slightly pleased he didn't have to go out into the snow. There was no way to avoid it if Cooro used his patented puppy-eyes.

Husky sat on his bed, remembering the season with a grin. Christmas was a rather fun holiday when there were people you actually _liked_ with you, instead of nobles and step-mothers all doing their best to annoy you.

Now, he was waiting for Cooro and Senri to finish getting dressed so they could go down to the pitch. Harry had a match today. Husky frowned at that. Not _just_ a match, it was against Slytherin. And Snape was refereeing. Even with the limited time they saw the Potions Master, it was painfully obvious that he hated the Gryffindors in general, and loathed Harry.

He knew Hermione and Ron had been trying to talk him out of playing today, but from what he could see, Harry wasn't backing down. He sighed to himself. Those three were very secretive lately, though with all the secrets they'd been keeping, he wasn't surprised at all. But it was saddening that the first people they knew here would barely speak to them. Cooro was taking it rather harshly, though he tried to hide it.

Someone waving a hand in his face drove these thoughts out of his head, and he found himself looking into Cooro's eyes, which were staring with concern at him.

"Are you okay? You looked like you were out in space or something…" Husky shook his head and stood, forcing the crow to step back.

"Never mind, it's time to go downstairs. If we don't hurry, there won't be any breakfast left before the match." Cooro frowned, but nodded and literally _skipped_ to the door, humming one of the many songs he'd learned at the church. Husky was willing to bet it had something to do with food.

Smiling in spite of himself, he followed, turning once to make sure Senri was behind him.

_It's short, but it's here, and I want to break it here before I write the match and the resulting speedup in canon. _


	13. Chapter 13

A Twist in History, Chapter Thirteen

**A.N. **Good news! I'm [finally] out of school! This means, of course, that the updates should come quicker. I can't make promises, though. I'm terribly lazy when it comes to the summer… anyway, here's a new chapter for you all!

The stands were already filling by the time the Anima made it out from breakfast. They found that Hermione and Ron had saved them seats in the Gryffindor stands, though, along with Neville. Both looked decidedly grim, but Cooro couldn't for the life of him puzzle out why. Glancing out into the field, he saw Snape talking with some of the Hufflepuff players, a broom clutched in his hand.

Further along, he could see the Gryffindors coming out to the grounds, and even from his perch it was obvious that most of the players were looking from Snape, to the captain, to the teachers stands. Instinctively, he looked as well, and saw Dumbledore himself sitting there, talking with McGonagall cheerfully.

"Hey, look! Dumbledore is watching the match today!" Startled, the others all looked in the direction he was pointing, and from the corner of his eye he could see Ron and Hermione relax. Looking over at Nana and Husky in confusion, Cooro saw them shrug with equal bewilderment.

He looks back onto the field as the game begins. From the start, it is painfully obvious, even to Cooro's trusting mind, that Snape is favoring the Hufflepuffs. The penalty to Hufflepuff because George did exactly what he was supposed to clued him in, anyway.

Behind Cooro, Ron yelped halfway through something he was saying to Hermione, and he turned to see Malfoy and his goonies standing there, smirking. He apologized sarcastically to Ron, before looking out over the game.

"Anyone want to bet on how long Potter manages to stay on his broom this time?" Husky rolled his eyes, looking back at him as Cooro lost interest and shifted his attention to the game.

"The entire game. Which we will win. Now go away, please." Nana giggled a bit, but she had spotted the Weasley twins fly close for a quick talk, and wanted to see the outcome of their plotting. Senri watched as well. A few moments later, their close scrutiny paid off, in the form of both Bludgers being pelted towards one of the Chasers while Snape was looking another direction. The Chaser in question saw his danger and dodged just in time, but dropped the Quaffle in the process, allowing Alicia Spinnet to score.

Malfoy was still talking, and Cooro was turning to tell him to 'please be quiet, don't you have any manners?' when Ron lost what patience he had and leapt over the seats onto him just as Harry went into a dive. Neville and Cooro jumped into the fray, taking on Crabbe and Goyle while Ron did his best to break Malfoy's nose. In front, Hermione was screaming while Nana discreetly held her ears. Neither noticed the fight. Senri looked back, and seemed to be debating whether to help or not when Husky held him back, grinning slightly.

"He's holding up; leave it be." Looking fairly dubious, (and somehow zoned out as well), Senri nodded, and both turned to the game just as Harry pulled out of the dive, the Snitch clutched tightly in his hand. Hermione was ecstatic, yelling and hugging anyone she could reach. This included Husky, who felt her wand in her sleeve with some confusion. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Harry was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates, hoisted off to the showers. Cooro, who some light bruises but nothing major, helped Senri carry Neville to the Hospital Wing. Ron had a bloody nose, but it was not broken, so he went to the Common Room with the others. Harry came in later than the others on the team, and spoke to Hermione and Ron quietly before joining the party. They all went silent when Husky neared them, and Nana reiterated her difficulty in hearing them while amongst so many others. All three of the others looked worried about something, but wouldn't say a word about it.

The following weeks were cold and rainy, restricting the students to indoor activities. When it finally let up, Cooro went out to fly immediately. Nana stayed indoors, saying it looked like it would begin again very soon, and she'd rather not get caught outside in it.

The grounds were dark as Cooro slipped out his dorm window, breathing in the scent of fresh rain with relish. Carefully, he jumped out, spreading his wings and pulling up at the last second. Swooping towards the Forest, he could see the small hut of the Groundskeeper, Hagrid, was still lit up bright. As he neared it, the door opened, spilling yellow light out onto the ground, sparkling on the still-wet grass. Then the light was blocked as Hagrid stepped out. Cooro called a cheerful greeting, before remembering he wasn't supposed to be out this late and trying to fly off. The Groundskeeper looked up and saw him.

"Oi! Come down 'ere!" He debated fleeing, before realizing there were only two students who it could possibly be, and he couldn't let Nana take the fall for this. Sighing quietly, he dropped down, landing a few yards from the hut.

"Er… hi!" Hagrid squinted at him, and it occurred to Cooro that he probably couldn't see him in the dark. He stepped forward into the light that was leaking through the doorway. Cooro looked up at Hagrid, trying to see his eyes in the wild beard that ruled his face.

"Yer Cooro, righ?'" Cooro nodded. Hagrid grunted, but smiled at him.

"Harry's mentioned ya. Come on in, have a cuppa tea." He turned inside, and Cooro followed him. The inside of the hut was small, but comfortable. A large dog slept in the corner. Hagrid led him to a table, setting a kettle on the fire already roaring. Cooro thought he saw a black object in the fire, but the kettle blocked it before he could tell, and he decided he'd probably seen a log or something. Hagrid sat in the chair opposite, and leaned forward slightly.

"Yer a… anima, righ'?" Cooro smiled at him and nodded again. Hagrid looked closely at him, frowning a bit.

"Er… Well… how's tha' work, 'xactly? How do ya fly an' all? Can I see yer wings?" His eyes sparked with interest as Cooro sat back, surprised at the line of questioning. Standing up, he carefully spread his wings, keeping them pinned down so he wouldn't knock the walls. Hagrid stood, eyes wide beneath his beard. He walked forward, arm outstretched to feel the feathers, but pulled back at the last second, looking a bit awkward. He opened his mouth, but Cooro cut him off.

"You can look, if you want!" He held out his arm, which was also covered with black feathers that gleamed in the firelight. Carefully, Hagrid reached out, feeling the feathers, then the bones and sinew beneath them, all with an expression of utmost concentration. Cooro giggled a bit as he felt around the feathers.

Finally, it seemed he had finished his examination, as he stepped back. Cooro retracted his wings, tilting his head slightly in question.

"So, are all yer bones tha' light? Or do they just lighten while ya fly? Or…" Cooro sat down, and Hagrid turned to the now whistling kettle, bustling for a moment before turning with two mugs of tea, still murmuring to himself.

The sky was light by the time Cooro left. Hagrid was full of questions, on flying, how he cleaned his wings, and other technical questions he'd never had to answer before but was amused by. Not once had he been asked how he had gotten his wings, or about the others. Tapping his chin in thought as he flew to his window, Cooro pondered that.

_Dumbledore might've told him… Or Harry._

Reaching the window, he started to climb in, only to be yanked in by an impossible number of hands. Tumbling into the room in a heap, he looked into the faces of Senri and Husky. The former looked concerned as he pulled him into a standing position, the latter was glaring.

"Where the _hell _were you! A quick flight is one thing, but you've been gone all night!" Cooro cringed away from the noise, yawning slightly.

"I was talking to Hagrid…" Husky snorted, still scowling at him.

"And that couldn't _wait?_" He turned to the side, huffing. Cooro was about to apologize when Husky spoke again, much softer.

"Don't do that again; we were worried." Cooro stepped forward, putting

His hand on Husky's shoulder, ignoring his friend's slight jump at the contact. He turned to look at him, and Cooro smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Husky huffed again, turning a bit away. He nodded, and Cooro yawned again.

"I'm gonna sleep…" He fell into his bed, and was snoring within moments. Husky shook his head, secretly glad it was a weekend. He and Senri went down to the Common Room, where Nana was waiting anxiously. Before either boy could get a word out, she was right in front of them, babbling a mile a minute.

"Did you find him? Is he okay? Where could he go? Oh, I bet he's hurt and crying and alone and…." Husky looked over at Senri for help, as she had his front clutched tightly in her grip.

"Nana…"

"… and bleeding and there are beasts like that bee and…"

"_Nana_."

"Oh, he's gonna die all alone and he'll think we abandoned him and _why_ did we let him go alone and…"

"Nana!" Husky shook her front, and she stopped her tirade to look at him.

"_So you don't care, eh?_" Husky's eyes widened at her tone. She glared at him, stepping forward as he stumbled back. She was about to step forward again, to do what, nobody was sure, but Senri stopped her. She looked up.

"He's fine. He spent the night talking to the Groundskeeper. He's asleep upstairs." Nana sighed in relief, then gasped, putting her hands over her face in embarrassment. She turned back to Husky, who eyed her warily as he straightened his robes in annoyance.

"Oh Husky, I'm sorry! I was worried, and I… I'm sorry." She finished awkwardly, looking at him through her bangs. He scowled, but nodded and said nothing except "Let's go to breakfast, since we're all already awake." They followed silently.

Breakfast was quiet, even when Harry, Ron and Hermione joined them. Hermione looked around in confusion.

"Where's Cooro? Did he already eat?" Husky frowned, and stayed silent. Nana turned slightly towards them.

"He stayed up late, so he's still asleep right now. We'll see if he's up after we eat." The other three frowned, but didn't comment further. Instead, Harry started a conversation about their last Transfiguration class assignment, a two-foot essay on the properties of mammals and how it affected the transfiguration process.

In other words, something Hermione had to translate for any of the others to be able to write. Harry and Ron's hadn't been started (it was due Wednesday, and it was Sunday), Husky, Cooro and Senri's were all in partial states of completion, and Nana and Hermione were finished.

Harry and Ron were alternately begging Nana and Hermione to help them with theirs when Hagrid walked in, looking around before spotting them and bee lining their way. All six of them gave various forms of greeting, depending on how well they knew him and whether or not they were Senri. He grinned.

"Mornin'. I firstly wanted ter invite you lot ter tea on Friday afternoon. I wanted to give this ter Cooro as well." He held out a bundle that Husky could see had a few feathers poking out of it. Husky held out his hands.

"I'll take it too him. He's still asleep right now." Hagrid frowned a bit, but handed over his package, nodding slightly.

"I'll tell him about your invitation, as well. I'm sure Cooro'd love to come."

_Especially if there's food,_ he added to himself. Hagrid smiled, waved at them, then walked out. At the doors, they could hear him as he spoke to someone out of sight.

"Oh- mornin', Professor McGonagall."

"Good morning, Hagrid. What brings you here this early? No problems, I hope."

"None t'all, just sayin' mornin' an' droppin' some things off." She nodded, a barely-there smile on her face as she walked into the room.

Cooro, when he finally awoke, would not listen to a word anyone had to say until he ate his fill. After that, of course, he was pleased to accept the invitation. Come Friday, they all walked down to the hut. Hermione, Ron and Harry were oddly eager, and had been since a trip to the library earlier in the day.

They knocked on the door, and Hagrid peered at them through the curtains before opening the door and ushering them all in. It was stifling hot, yet the fire was roaring. Hagrid closed the door again, and turned to making tea and sandwiches. Only Cooro accepted a sandwich, as the others were wary of anything made by Hagrid or containing 'stout,' whatever that was. As they made slight conversation, Husky turned to the fire, wondering why it was even there. Even he was hot, and he was from the south!

As he looked, a large black thing he'd originally thought was a log twitched a bit, and he jumped. The others looked over at him. Cooro followed his gaze to the fire.

"Hey, that looks like-"

"An egg." They turned to Ron, who was staring into the flames. "A dragon egg." Eyes wide, they all turned to Hagrid, who looked sheepish.

"Won it off a feller I met in tha' pub. Always wante' a dragon…" He looked into the flames with far-off expression. Nana's ears twitched, and she turned to the window, trying to force them to stay in their normal shape.

"Um… I'll be right back!" She dashed out the door. The other three anima looked over at each other, and stood as one.

"I apologize, but we should follow her. We'll come visit again later, okay?" Husky strove to placate the groundskeeper, s=who looked mildly disappointed that they were leaving.

"Yeah! Ooh! Can we come and see when it's hatching?" Cooro leaned forward with excitement. None of them were from the Wizarding world; their childhood monsters were the Boogeyman, not dragons. Hagrid looked at him with a wide smile.

"Course. I'll send a letter." Cooro beamed at him, and they left. As the door closed, Husky could hear Ron saying "Hagrid, you live in a _wooden_ house…" Nana was standing a few yards away, about where Cooro had landed the night before. Her head was cocked to the side, listening carefully. As they neared her, her ears went back to normal, and she sighed a bit, looking over at them.

"Well? What was it?" Husky asked abruptly, reaching her first. She frowned.

"I think it was screaming… or an animal dying." Husky groaned.

"That's it? Jeez, you could have said-" She held up a hand, cutting him off.

"There was a voice talking. Then another. But I couldn't hear what they were talking about. And it was so close… I thought they might be coming out of the Forest, but they went deeper as you three came out." Husky scowled as they walked back inside, and Senri stared out to the Forest, as though he was trying to see who was out there.

A few days later, a note came at breakfast, with Hagrid's scrawl clearly proclaiming _It's hatching._ After a brief argument, it was decided they'd all go during morning break, after Herbology. Hermione was the one who convinced them of this, of course; the others were all for skiving off class. Senri didn't actually say anything, but he seemed to enjoy Herbology, which Hermione used to her advantage.

"Senri _wants_ to go!" And so, if only to shut her up, they went to class. As it turned out, it was a fairly boring class, with a long talk about something called Devil's Snare. Cooro zoned out, looking over at the hut, which had long tendrils of smoke creeping out of the chimney.

Husky, meanwhile, had a strange feeling he was being watched. Glancing around, he saw Malfoy looking over at them. Frowning, he remembered that Malfoy had been walking past when they'd been arguing.

_Great. I'll bet he heard and is going to report us all. Just lovely._ He had asked the others exactly why this was such a big issue after they'd come back, and had gotten a pile of stories and myths from the three of them. He trusted Ron the most on this, as he'd said his brother worked with dragons in Romania.

He had told the others an edited version of the information he'd been given, but Husky was willing to bet that Nana was the only one who was really as worried as the other three. Senri had looked blank, and Husky could practically _see_ Cooro connecting the dragon to the bee-thing they'd run into at the Beena mansion, and dismissing the dragon as little threat. He shook his head at that.

Cooro was a bit _too_ trusting sometimes. But it was a useful trait sometimes, though he was loathe to admit it. After all, he was the one that had pulled their entire group together, just by being who he was, a trusting goofball.

_Major goof, _Husky thought as he glanced over at Cooro, who had abandoned his zoning and was now teasing some tentacled plant near him, while Senri watched. Nana was taking notes, and Husky debated following suite before shrugging the feeling off and looking back over at Malfoy.

Caught watching them again, there was a brief stare-off, before the Slytherin huffed and turned away in annoyance. Husky grinned a bit. Being raised in an imperial palace had _some _perks, if only the ability to glare-down any bully. He turned back to the front as Professor Sprout strode over to disentangle Cooro from the plant that was currently trying to eat him.

_And what's with her name being _Sprout_, of all things…?_


	14. Chapter 14

A Twist in History, Chapter Fourteen

**A.N. **My internet is down at the moment, so I'm writing as much as possible whilst I have no distractions.

The end of class, as all big events are prone to do, took forever to come. The children became more and more antsy, barely able to sit still by the time they could leave. As it were, not all of them could go. Cooro was sent to the Hospital with sores from the plant, some Clawed Creeper with a noxious venom that made him drowsy. Senri half-carried him away as the others headed towards the hut. Nana glanced back at the two boys as they left, frowning.

Hagrid rushed them inside, looking flustered and excited all at once. He looked at them.

"It's nearly out. Hey, where're Cooro'n' Senri?" Husky looked at the fire, and, seeing nothing, over at the table, where the egg sat.

"Cooro got bit, or stung, or whatever a plant does, and had to go to the Hospital. Senri's with him." Hagrid frowned as they all sat around the egg.

"They'll be sad t'miss this…" They nodded, watching the black orb as hairline cracks widened and a rattling sound came from inside.

Cooro and Senri sat in the Hospital, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to get the antidote to the plants venom. Through the window, Hagrid's hut was visible, smoke still rising up from the chimney. Cooro was half-asleep, leaning on Senri's shoulder. He stared out the window.

Cooro dozed off, but not before mumbling quietly,

"Why's Malfoy running towards Hagrid's hut…?"

He got his answer the next night, though he couldn't remember the question at that point; Madam Pomfrey had decided to keep him overnight, worried that he may have side-effects to the anti-venom. Now, they all sat around the Common Room, long after the others had gone to sleep, discussing the problem.

"He hasn't said anything, right?" Cooro looked over at the others, as he had no way of knowing. Seeing their nods, he smiled.

"Well, that's good, right?" Harry glowered at the floor, grumbling.

"Probably waiting for the best time to spill. Maybe right as Hagrid's house lights on fire…" Husky shook his head.

"The best time to spill would be on Sunday. That way, when the post comes in on Monday, the papers and letters will be full of it. No-one could possibly not know at that point." Ron was staring at him.

"Gee, did we _need_ to hear that?" Husky shrugged, saying nothing. The tiniest of smiles was present on his face.

The next week was suspiciously dragon-panic free, though Malfoy looked smug about something. Cooro suggested it was because he finally managed the charm that could make ink change colors, which Hermione had used at the first Quidditch match.

Though they laughed, no-one really believed it was that.

The Golden trio went to Hagrid's while the Anima were working on a paper a few days later. They came back with the news that Hagrid had agreed to contact Charlie Weasley in Romania about Norbert. Norbert was the dragon, now nearly three times his original size and caused an infected bite on Ron's hand.

Ron received a letter on Wednesday night from his brother. He happened to have some friends coming past on Saturday, and asked them to meet on the top of the Astronomy Tower that night. Husky read over the letter carefully.

"We're to sneak a large, highly illegal dragon through the castle at night, without waking anyone, to meet some strangers on the top of a tower that, might I remind you, is forbidden outside of class." He shook his head, looking at them.

"There are _so _many ways this could go wrong…" Harry looked at the Anima sheepishly.

"I have something that'll make it easier…" He showed them the Invisibility Cloak, explaining the story behind it in as few words as possible. Husky got the feeling he felt awkward about the big secret.

He also got the feeling it wasn't the only one, and this was the tip of the iceberg.

A plan was created. Harry and Hermione would carry Norbert to the Tower under the Invisibility Cloak. It wasn't an overly complicated plan that needed a ton of people, thankfully, as Ron eventually went to the Hospital about his bite. The trio went to tell Hagrid and the Anima planned their own course of action.

"Cooro will fly as lookout for Charlie's friends, and Nana will follow Harry and Hermione so they don't get caught with Norbert. There's no reason for them to know we're even there." Nana frowned sadly. She hated secrets.

Saturday couldn't have taken longer. Between Malfoy's looks, Hagrid's tears, and Ron's rather sickening wound, nerves were stretched tight. Cooro seemed to be the only one not worried, and spent the most time comforting Hagrid about the loss of his beloved pet.

Malfoy visited Ron in the Hospital, gloating without saying a word. Husky walked in just as Malfoy began to speak.

"Maybe I should tell her what _really _bit you; wouldn't that help the healing process?" Husky stepped forward.

"Maybe I should show you how exactly we settle differences back home." Malfoy turned to face him, surprised. Husky grinned at him.

"Come on, afraid to fight without yer cronies?" He stepped backwards with his right foot, balancing easily. Malfoy glared, but it faltered as he took in Husky's stance. It was fairly obvious he could fight. Malfoy scoffed, then left, Ron's textbook under his arm. Husky turned to Ron.

"Why's he got your book?" Ron was looking at him oddly, and Husky repeated himself.

"Oh… he used it as an excuse to get in… Bollocks!" Husky jumped as Ron yelled the last statement. He shot up in his bed. Husky stared at him in bewilderment.

"Er… what?" Ron looked over at him in a panic.

"Charlie's letter was in that book!"

The news that the letter was in the hands of the enemy spread throughout the group within fifteen minutes, discluding Hagrid, who they felt would be better off not knowing. Eventually, it was decided that they would go along with the original plan.

"After all, he doesn't know about the Cloak. We have an advantage." Husky, had he not heard Hermione say it herself, would have bet that Cooro was the one with such an opinion.

Saturday came. Husky and Senri sat in the Common Room, waiting; Nana and Cooro prepared to sneak around; and Harry and Hermione went to Hagrid's. Ron was still out of commission, and probably the most worried.

As Senri and Husky sat in the Common Room, waiting anxiously, Senri turned abruptly towards the stairs. Neville Longbottom stood there, and as he saw them, he stopped short.

"I… er… why are you lot awake?" Husky thought quickly, remembering Ron and Harry were in Neville's dorm.

"Promise not to tell?" Neville looked at him warily, then nodded slowly. Senri looked at him.

"Cooro and Nana took Harry and Hermione outside, cause they wanted to see how they fly. They weren't supposed to, but we figured it wouldn't do too much damage, so…" he grinned sheepishly. Neville was still tense, but seemed a bit calmer.

"We were waiting up for them. Why are you out, Neville?" He tensed again.

"I heard Malfoy say he was going to catch him and Hermione out past curfew. He thinks they have a dragon!" Husky arranged his features into a face of bewilderment.

"A… dragon? Aren't they a myth?" Neville shook his head violently.

"No! They're real, and very dangerous. Not to mention illegal. And Malfoy thinks they have one!" He'd sat down during his explanation, but sprang up again on the last words. Husky grinned.

"Excellent." Neville frowned at him, and Husky remembered Neville didn't know exactly how the Anima got in and out of the castle.

"He'll be looking for them _in_ the castle. They're outside." When Neville still looked dubious, he added,

"They went out the dorm window." Neville relaxed, sitting down again. He laughed, and Husky gave him a quizzical look.

"Imagine them _actually_ having a dragon!"

Nana glanced around the corner, making sure the others were already past before walking after them.

_Oh, I hate this! Why couldn't we just tell them I would be a lookout?_ But she knew why. The whole web of secrets. They knew she had wings, not bat ears and a screech as well. She sighed, walking around another hallway before freezing. Slipping into an alcove, she let her ears 'out,' listening carefully.

It was McGonagall. And… Malfoy? She listened harder. Malfoy was protesting something… a detention and point loss. He was saying something about a dragon, but McGonagall wasn't hearing it. They walked right past where Nana hid, and she pressed further back, barely breathing. They didn't pause, however, and she stayed still for a moment before catching up to the others.

Cooro swooped around again, looking around the Tower. Harry and Hermione had come up already, so he stayed low and out-of-sight. Nana waved at him from her spot, a window two floors below the others. He grinned at her, but turned away as four brooms flew to the Tower. He sat on the roof of another nearby tower, watching as they strapped Norbert's crate in and flew away. He followed them for a few minutes, then came back. Harry and Hermione were already gone, and Nana sat where they had been.

"They almost saw me as they came down. I think they'll be alright, so I'll go to bed now, okay?" Cooro grinned.

"Yup! Mission success! You go on, I want to watch the stars a bit." The sky was clear, and the moon nearly full. Nana smiled, then left. Cooro sat down on the floor, next to a few telescopes. Setting his hand down, Cooro frowned. Looking down, he saw a silvery piece of cloth. He picked it up, and it shimmered in the air.

"This is…"

Nana landed on the sill of the Common Room window, knocking quietly. Inside, she could see Husky, who stood to get the window, Senri, and…

"Husky! Why is Neville here?" She hissed at him, not making a move inside.

"He heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch the others with a dragon. I told him you took them both out flying. Come on, it's cold." He pulled her inside, and they walked to the chairs. Neville looked up. (He'd decided to wait for the others as well.)

"Where are the others? I don't want anyone to get in trouble…" Nana frowned, looking at the portrait hole.

"Cooro wanted to stay out a bit longer. The others, they… er… wanted to walk back, cause I couldn't carry both at once. I hope they don't get caught…"

Cooro dove through a lower window, trying to remember how to get to McGonagall's office. Running through the halls, he shoved the Cloak into his robes. He didn't get what the big secret was with it, but he'd rather keep it a secret.

He got to the study, and burst through the door, panting. Harry and Hermione stood there, with McGonagall behind her desk. She looked up, surprised.

"Cooro. Why are you here?" He held up a hand, trying to breath. Finally, he straightened.

"I was just taking them out flying! We didn't mean to be out so late, and since I was alone, I couldn't carry them both to the Tower, so they decided to walk, and… It was all my idea. I'm sorry." He looked down, the picture of a mournful child.

_Come on, buy the excuse…_

"And why, exactly, is Mr. Malfoy saying you have a dragon?" Hermione twitched, and Harry watched Cooro closely.

Cooro looked up, confusion evident on his features.

"Dragon…? They're real?" Harry wanted to smack his head. No way would McGonagall fall for that…

"Yes, they're real. None of you had any idea why?" She looked over at the other two. They shook their heads. Hermione looked rightly confused, and Harry just appeared to be feeling sick. Seeing she would get nothing from them.

"You have been warned about flying after hours, Cooro. And you two, out of bed after hours! This is four students in one night! Detentions to all of you. And thirty* points from Gryffindor." Harry jumped at that.

"_Thirty!"_ She couldn't do that!

"Each, Mr. Potter, and be thankful it's not more. I have no sympathy for rule-breakers." Harry and Hermione protested, but McGonagall was steadfast in her decision. They were dismissed. As soon as they were out of earshot of the office, Harry turned to Cooro.

"Why did you come down here? You could've avoided a detention! And the points!" Cooro looked at him with an unreadable expression, gestured towards the stairs to the Tower.

"Let's go before someone else comes!" Bewildered, the other two followed him to Gryffindor Tower, where they were berated by the Fat Lady. Inside, they found Senri, Nana and Neville.

All three were saddened by the news of the points and detentions, especially Neville, who felt he could've stopped them somehow had he spoken earlier. Harry was quick to tell him it wasn't his fault, careful to avoid spilling why they had been out in the first place. The others were just glad the dragon was gone.

The next morning was a state of confusion for most people, as Gryffindor had lost ninety points in a night. Slytherin was now in the lead.

Rumors spread, as they are wont to do, and eventually it came out what happened. Cooro was almost entirely exempt from any anger, if only because he was asleep for most of the morning. Hermione avoided too mush anger as well, due to the invisibility that came with being a first year. Harry got the most flak. Husky found this ironic, seeing as he had been the one to earn those points in the first place in the Quidditch match.

Fred and George were quick to come to his aid. They had little interest in House points, as was obvious from their prankster natures, and advocated they'd lost more than that before.

"You must've given a good tale, to only get thirty. _We've _lost a hundred points for being caught out-of-bounds before…" As Fred told the rest of the group exactly what they'd been doing to lose the points, Harry glanced at Cooro.

Cooro beamed at him.

_*Yes, I know they lost fifty points in that scene. There was a reason for me changing it. Just in case some people didn't get it. _


	15. Chapter 15

A Twist in History, Chapter Fifteen

**A.N. **Hello~ Hope you all are enjoying the summer. I have managed to get sunburnt twice already, and am retreating from the sun. Be thankful, it means I'm writing.

Can I just say I've been looking forward to this point in the book for a _long_ time? Well, I will, and I have. Here you go!

Harry wasn't sure, but the Anima seemed quieter than before. Not Cooro, though. He was as hyper as ever.

And not Senri, who they were lucky to get three words out of in a week.

Okay, so Nana and Husky seemed quieter. And what was with his name, anyway? Husky? That was a breed of dog, not a boy's name. Even accounting for them being from another country. Wherever that was. Hermione ranted about it 'not being on _any_ maps,' but it didn't bother Harry much.

No, what bothered him was that those two were obviously keeping secrets. He didn't doubt that Cooro and Senri were in on them, but Senri was near expressionless on the best of days, and from what he'd seen of Cooro (quite a bit, throughout the term), nothing affected the boys mood.

But Nana gave them all, especially Hermione, strange, inquisitive looks whenever she thought they weren't looking. He'd only noticed this time because everyone else was glaring, so she stood out. Husky was a quite a bit moodier than before, though he tended to be when separated from the other three for long periods of time.

It gave Harry an odd feeling, knowing they had secrets. He really couldn't be mad, considering the whole Sorcerer's Stone bit, but knowing some of your closest mates aren't saying something puts a damper on the friendship.

He said as much to Ron and Hermione, but neither of them seemed to agree. On the contrary, both seemed vehemently opposed to the idea, and its vague implications of telling the others their secret, so they would spill and everyone would be even.

"We _can't_, don't you realize how big this is?" This was Ron, thinking he simply didn't understand why this was a secret to start with.

"It's not like saying you sleep with a teddy bear, this is _serious._ And it's not ours to tell; it's Dumbledore and Flamel's story. We can't blab it to everyone because you feel guilty about it, Harry!" And that was Hermione, looking at it from a purely logical point. Harry didn't know how to tell them both that it didn't matter, that they were his friends and he didn't like secrets. It wasn't like he'd had a lot of friends before; he didn't want the few he had to leave because of stupid secrets.

It was this thought that had him pulling Cooro aside right before their detention, while Hermione was still upstairs getting a cloak.

"Cooro… We've got a secret… Hermione and Ron will kill me if they knew I was telling, but-" Cooro held up a hand, looking at him with an oddly earnest expression.

"Then don't. Unless you all want to tell, it isn't a good idea to say anything. Besides," he added, smiling, "we've got a few secrets of our own. Nana won't let us say anything until you spill. After the detention, maybe." Harry didn't get a chance to respond, because Hermione had come down, and they silently left the Tower.

Harry didn't notice, but Nana sat in a large armchair, listening to every word. He didn't see her run up the stairs to the Boys' Dorm. Harry didn't see, but Cooro did, and he smiled with the hopes that this silly ring of secrets would end soon.

They met Draco and Filch in the Entrance Hall, and walked in silence to Hagrid's Hut. Well, the students did; Filch was full of rants about the old punishments and how he missed them. Harry wondered exactly how old Filch was; hanging by your thumbs in a dungeon sounded a bit old fashioned a punishment for being out past curfew. Cooro was, oddly enough, giggling behind his hand at something. Harry moved closer to him as they crossed the grounds, tapping his shoulder and raising an eyebrow in question when he turned.

Slowly, he removed his hand, still smiling.

"Senri's following us. He was worried when we found out we were going to the Forest." He pointed to a tree a few hundred yards away, and Harry followed his gaze. If he squinted, he could almost see a vaguely human-shaped blob, but there was no way to distinguish if it was Senri or not.

"How can you tell?" Hermione was looking at them now, and Dra- _Malfoy_ had given them an odd look or two as well.

"I have bird vision. Helpful, innit?" Harry frowned, remembering the wings that sprouted from Cooro's back at will. He thought of the vague definition he'd given them, something about being in danger and being under fifteen. He hadn't understood it, and resolved to ask him about it again when all the secrets came out. Hermione frowned at him, but said nothing. Filch hadn't noticed.

Hagrid's hut was lit up, and, as they approached, Hagrid appeared out of it, momentarily blocking the light before letting it free to dance over the grounds, illuminating their path in glowing yellow.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Cooro seemed delighted as they neared the Hut, though Malfoy was getting steadily more nervous as they walked closer.

Filch seemed to notice Cooro's cheerful attitude, because he spoke once more as they traveled down the path.

"Think you'll have an easy time with the oaf? You're going into the Forest, not on a daytrip." If anything, Cooro got happier, but Malfoy's face grew pale[r] as soon as the words reached his ears.

"Th-the _Forest?_ Students aren't allowed in there! There are… werewolves!" Filch gave him a condescending look, but Cooro cut him off.

"Werewolves? It's not a full moon, Draco. I doubt any of them want to live in the woods." Malfoy glared, and Harry wondered how Cooro knew or cared about that.

They reached Hagrid, who, they were shocked to see, had a crossbow and a quiver of arrows with him.

"Abou' time. I bin waitin' fer an hour already. All righ', you three?" He looked closely at them, and Harry figured he already knew why they were there. Well, except for Cooro; they weren't even sure how he'd known they were in trouble.

"Don't be so friendly, Hagrid. They're here for detention, not a picnic." Hagrid looked at him with disdain.

"You bin lecturin' 'em, Filch? Tha' why ye're late?" Filch scoffed, muttered something about collecting the pieces in the morning, then left. Malfoy now turned to Hagrid, something akin to panic on his face.

"I'm not going in there." Hagrid growled at him, and while he told Malfoy exactly what would happen if he left, Harry looked over the grounds.

Something was moving near them, behind some trees near the outskirts of the Forest. He squinted, trying to figure out what it was, before Hagrid called over to him.

"Come on, 'Arry. We're goin' in." Harry turned to follow, still pondering what it could have been.

Over at the edge, Hagrid was explaining their mission, to find an injured unicorn. Malfoy seemed scared, Hermione was silent, and Cooro seemed unreadable. Harry just felt bad for the creature that was wandering, bleeding, through the Forest.

Hagrid split them into two groups; Malfoy, Cooro and Fang in one and Harry, Hermione and Hagrid in the other. As they followed Hagrid down one path, and watched the others split away, Harry hoped Cooro was right, and Senri was the one following them.

Cooro was practically skipping down the trail, not wanting to outrun his human partner, but anxious about the unicorn. From what he'd read of magical creatures, unicorns wouldn't be getting injured easily, meaning something strong was in the Forest. It didn't bode well that most books noted the healing powers of unicorn blood, and the curse of those who drank it.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Draco speaking up behind him.

"Why are you so bloody _happy_ right now? We're going into the Forbidden Forest!" Cooro looked back at him, trying to see in the dim light provided by the lantern Malfoy carried.

"I'm not. I want to find it." He was about to respond when Cooro looked behind him and gasped.

"_Duck!_" Malfoy hit the deck, nearly crushing Fang in the process. A swarm of bats flew over his head, chased by something much bigger that didn't stop as it swooped just above their heads. Cooro watched them go, then held out his hand to Draco. He eyed it, then stood alone, scowling. He opened his mouth, presumably to say something, but whatever it was never reached his lips.

After their encounter with the centaurs, Harry's mind was spinning slightly. They were an odd lot, he decided, just as red sparks flew into the air, their signal for trouble. Hagrid told them to stay where they were, and ran into the brush towards the other path.

Harry and Hermione stood carefully, watching for anything out of the ordinary.

"You don't think they're in trouble, do you?" Hermione sounded worried, and Harry looked over at her. She looked worried, too.

"Cooro said Senri's following them. Hopefully that's all it is." Hermione looked dubious at that, but didn't comment.

"And what was Cooro even doing here? He should have been in bed while we were taking care of Norbert." Harry shrugged. Remembering what he and Cooro had talked of earlier, he spoke again.

"I'm telling them about the Stone, Hermione. I need you and Ron to agree to telling." She looked at him in shock.

"Harry, we _talked_ about this-" He cut her off.

"And I'm ignoring it. We're trading off on secrets until this is over. It's getting ridiculous. We could've asked their help, especially over Christmas. Husky's uncle is a wizard, he might know something that we could've used ages ago." When she still looked like she would protest, he continued with anger.

"Only Cooro objects to you and Ron not wanting to spill. I can still tell the others, and I will. This is painfully stupid." Finally, after a long moment of silence, she nodded.

"I don't like it, but fine. Maybe I'll even find out where on Earth Astaria is supposed to be. They never did say…" They stayed silent, tense, until loud crunching announced Hagrid's arrival. He was followed by Malfoy, Cooro and Fang.

"We'll be righ' lucky ter catch anything now, racket you made. 'Arry, you go back with Cooro and Fang. Malfoy'll be with me an' Hermione." Silently, Harry walked towards where Cooro stood.

Malfoy was abnormally pale. Nobody said why they were trading off. Harry followed Cooro back into the Forest, retracing their earlier steps. As soon as they reached the path, Harry turned to Cooro.

"What happened?" Cooro smiled at him, apparently not bothered by the turn of events at all.

"He saw Senri, I think. He screamed, at any rate. Ah, here he is!" At this last, Harry turned to see Senri emerging from behind a large pine tree, looking a bit sheepish. Or, that's what Harry thought he looked like. It was hard to tell with Senri.

"Why're you out here?" Harry was confused, to say the least. This detention was for being out after hours; why would he risk another detention to follow them?

"Something out here. Dangerous." Cooro didn't look surprised. Harry noted absently that they'd been walking down the path, following the spots of silver blood on the ground.

"Is that what's killing the unicorns?" Senri nodded, and Cooro looked over at him sadly.

"We noticed it earlier, but there wasn't anything we could do; we had no way of knowing if it was normal, or how to find it if it weren't. Useful detention, this ended up being." Harry was about to ask more, but Senri held up a hand, seeming to sniff the air. Cooro watched him with growing worry.

"Is it…" Senri nodded, and they began to walk faster down the path, towards whatever Senri was smelling. Harry's forehead began to ache, and he rubbed it, not taking his eyes off Cooro and the lamp. Fang was next to him, and rubbed against his leg as they walked.

Cooro abruptly stopped, a gasp on his lips, and Harry spotted what had caused his exclamation. A unicorn lay on the path, sprawled unnaturally on the path.

It was dead.

Before he could even think of sending up sparks, a black shape slithered out of the trees towards the poor animal. It reached the unicorn's side, and lowered it's head to the wound that was still leaking blood onto the Forest floor.

Fang whimpered, then bolted, almost knocking Harry over in the process. He did manage to topple Senri, and as he struggled to his feet, the figure turned to look at them, blood dripping down it's face. Absently, Harry noted it was like an old horror movie Dudley had made him watch.

Then the pain in his forehead grew too intense for such thoughts. Or standing, and he went to his knees. Cooro had moved in front of them, while Senri struggled to stand from the large hole formed by tree roots he'd fallen into.

There were hooves behind him, then something over his head. Cooro gasped. The pain cleared, and he looked up, standing slowly. The figure was gone, a young palomino centaur in it's place. He walked over to Harry, ignoring the other two as Cooro helped Senri up.

"Are you all right?" Harry noted he only asked him, not the other three. He nodded, still staring at the body behind him.

"Yeah- thank you. What- what _was _that?" The centaur didn't seem to hear him, looking at his forehead instead.

"You are Harry Potter. And you two," he added, looking at where Cooro and Senri now stood, "you are not from here." Cooro didn't deny it, looking at him with interest instead. Senri walked over to the body, examining the wound. He frowned.

"You must all leave, now. The Forest is dangerous at night." He knelt down on his forelegs.

"Potter, and you, little crow, ride on my back. I believe your friend can keep up." Harry climbed on, and felt Cooro join him. Senri walked over, carrying the unicorn over his shoulders, expressionless.

"My name is Firenze." The centaur said belatedly, as he began to gallop towards what Harry figured was the edge of the forest . He'd become disoriented in all the confusion.

"I'm Cooro, and behind us is Senri." Cooro was about to say more, possibly the names of those still in the castle, but he stopped abruptly as the sound of galloping reached them. Ronan and Bane were apparently done stargazing, and were covered with sweat as they stopped in front of them.

"Firenze! What are you doing, carrying humans on your back?" He spotted Cooro, then Senri.

"Not even humans!" He spat angrily. Harry wondered why Senri was included

_Wait… how was Senri keeping up, anyway?_

"Do you realize who this is? This is Potter! He needs to leave the Forest as quickly as possible, on my back if necessary." Firenze seemed calmer than the other.

"What secrets have you been telling? You know we cannot go against the stars. Do you not remember what the planets have foretold?" Bane was a bit annoying, Harry thought dully.

"I'm sure he's doing what he thinks is best." Ronan was rather gloomy sounding. Bane reared a bit in anger.

"For the best! Centaurs do what is foretold, not run after little humans and creatures under the moon!" Firenze reared up angrily now, and Harry clutched his shoulders to avoid falling. Cooro slid right off, landing on the ground with an _'oof!'_

Senri walked over to him, worried, but Cooro waved him off. He seemed annoyed at the centaurs, which was odd. He never seemed to care what others said about him.

"Do you not see the unicorn?" Firenze was yelling now, and they looked over at Senri, who still carried it over his shoulders.

"Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not revealed that secret? I will set my self against what does the killing, with humans if I must." Bane snorted.

"These aren't even that. Only half human, at most." Cooro looked at him.

"So are you." The centaurs all looked at him now, and Bane stepped forward angrily.

"What are you-" Cooro's wings sprouted, spreading to their full length. Only Harry could see they were also blocking Senri from stepping forward.

"You have a human part, and so do we. I don't see where you get off calling us 'creatures.'" Firenze stepped forward, kneeling down once again.

"Come along little crow. We must leave." Cooro retracted his wings once again and climbed onto his back. He rode away from them. This time, Harry glanced back, to see the centaurs glaring at them, and Senri running alongside Firenze, easily keeping pace. Harry spoke up, very confused.

"Why's Bane so angry? And what was that thing you saved us from?" Firenze slowed, and didn't answer for a long time.

"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" Harry shook his head, and felt Cooro twitch slightly behind him. He'd wager Cooro did know.

"It is monstrous, to slay a unicorn. Only someone with nothing to lose would do such a thing. The blood will keep you alive even an inch from death, but at a terrible price. If you slay something so pure, you shall have a half-life, a cursed life. From the moment the blood touches your lips." He added, as Senri examined his bloody hands with vague interest. Senri looked up and nodded.

"Who would be that desperate? Wouldn't death be better then?" Firenze nodded.

"Unless you were waiting for something better, more powerful. Something that would give you your full strength, so you could never die. Can you think of no-one that would choose such a thing? Do you know nothing that will give them this?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone!" He didn't mean to say anything, and now Cooro was looking at him oddly. At least, he thought hw was; he didn't have eyes in the back of his head.

He froze, thinking of the first half of the statement.

"Do you mean, that was _Vol-"_

"Harry!" Hermione and Hagrid were running towards them now, Fang and Malfoy walking slower further back. Hagrid froze, seeing the unicorn on Senri's shoulders.

"You found it. At least he wasn't lyin' 'bout tha'." Hagrid gestured towards Malfoy, who looked shaken. Hagrid was looking at Senri in confusion.

"What're yeh doin' out here?" Senri shrugged, laying the unicorn down on the ground. Cooro and Harry jumped down from Firenze's back. He left, after leaving a strange statement.

"Good luck, Harry Potter. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." Harry watched him disappear into the trees, not even hearing what reason Cooro was giving for Senri being there.


	16. Chapter 16

A Twist in History, Chapter Sixteen

**A.N. **Nothing much for ya. A friend, **kruserer, **is writing a fan fiction guide, and I happen to be featured for an interview in a later chapter, so I hope some of you will check that out. Other than that, enjoy the fic!

The walk to the castle was quiet. Cooro had managed to explain Senri's presence to Hagrid, though neither Harry nor Hermione were exactly sure of what had been said. Hagrid accepted whatever it had been, though, because he had nodded and brought them back to the castle. Malfoy was still shell-shocked, and wasn't speaking. Harry got the feeling he wouldn't say anything about what had happened.

They reached the doors, where Filch was waiting. He simply growled, perhaps at the fact that they had all lived, and sent them to their dorms. Draco all but runs, and it occurs to Harry that Senri is still covered in unicorn blood. Turning to look, he is surprised to find that Senri is not there. He looks at Cooro, but he shows no signs of being confused in the slightest.

We walk away from Filch, towards the stairs and our beds, when Hermione turns to Cooro.

"Where is-" She doesn't finish. Harry decided it was probably because Senri had just emerged from behind a tapestry and was walking next to us. The blood shown dully on his robes, a reminder of what they had been doing late in the night.

Hermione eyes Senri oddly, though Harry thinks it is not needed; there is an open window near the tapestry, and it's fairly obvious that Senri had snuck in that way. Senri is sniffing the blood stain nearest his head, on the left shoulder, and Cooro whispers something to him. He stops sniffing it.

They don't speak again until they reach the Common Room, where Husky, Nana, Ron and surprisingly Neville are all waiting for them. Husky looks up and grimaces at the sight of Senri. Silently, he drags him up to the dorms, leaving the others to sit awkwardly down on various pieces of furniture.

No-one has said a word when the two boys finally come back down, Senri now in clean robes with the excess blood wiped away. They sit down as well. Husky is the first to speak.

"Look, we all know we've been keeping secrets. It's rather ridiculous, so why don't we get them out in the open." Harry looks at him in confusion.

"How do you know…?" Nana jumps in, blushing a bit.

"I heard you talking before you left, and told these two." She gestures to Husky and Senri. "Then we told Ron, who decided that Neville had a right to know as well. Something about being involved already." Neville shrugged, shaking slightly at what Harry assumed was the memory of Fluffy.

There was silence for a moment, before Harry decided to just spill.

"On the third floor, down the forbidden corridor, there's a three-headed dog named Fluffy. He, along with spells put there by various teachers, guards the Sorcerer's Stone. IT can turn anything into pure gold, and produces an elixir of life." Hermione looked nervous, but Ron jumped in next.

"It was created by Nicolas Flamel, and he's over 600 years old. It was being stored in Gringotts, and Harry was with Hagrid when he took it to store here. The vault was robbed later that day. Whoever it was is trying to take it from here, and tried to kill Harry at the Quidditch match earlier in the year." Hermione leaned forward a bit.

"We think it was Snape. He was bitted by Fluffy at Halloween, and has been threatening Quirrel lately about what he did to defend the Stone. And, he was saying_ some_ kind of spell when Harry's broom went all funny." There was silence, before Neville muttered quietly to himself,

"That dog's name is _Fluffy?"_ Harry laughed, and the tension broke. Cooro yawned, scratching his head.

"Where to start…?" Nana looked at him, then at Husky, before turning to them all.

"My father came home drunk one night, and tried to hit my mother. When I went to stop him, I stabbed him with a pair of scissors. I ran.

"It was dark, so I couldn't see, and he was getting close. That was when I got my +Anima, a bat one. I can grow out wings, have bat hearing, and can knock out a person, from a short range, with supersonic waves.

"I lived with a group of orphan girls in the caves under a city before joining Cooro, Husky and Senri." Husky sighed a bit, then took his turn.

"I was the son of the king of Sailand and a one of his harem, a northern princess. My stepmother tried to drown me in the garden pool, and I got a fish +anima. I escaped in the aqua-ducts, but was later captured and sold to a circus, where I was displayed as a 'mermaid.'

"Cooro showed up and got me out, to put it simply. He said he was looking for other +anima, and we decided to travel together." Hermione leaned forward. She was clearly dubious.

"You're a prince? Of, Sailand, was it?" Husky glared, and pulled his hair back to reveal his earrings. At the same time, he at his robes a bit, revealing the gill-like markings on his neck.

"These are real sapphire. Not exactly cheap, especially back home. And I didn't get these markings willingly; I couldn't swim." She sat back, a bit mollified, and Husky continued.

"In Sailand, +Anima are sold into slavery. So even after I joined Cooro and was free from the circus, I didn't go home for a long time. And even then, it was only to tell my mother I was alive. Seeing my aunt was a bonus." He scowled a bit, evidentially remembering what had happened in the palace. Cooro looked up, realizing it was his turn.

"My mother died before I was born. In her village, the bodies are left out so the crows can escort the souls to heaven. I… Well, a scientist that studies +Anima was watching, and saw me fly out of her body, following the crows into the sky.

"I crashed into a church, and was raised there. Another researcher, Mr. Fly, came and took me to the research facility. He made me promise to give him my wings someday. When he found out I could sense other people's +Anima, he sent me to find them, so he could give them to Blanca.

"Blanca was an artificial life form, found in the ruins of an underground facility. He said she was an angel +anima. She never spoke, and never left the chamber he kept her in. I don't think she wanted to.

"So I went out, and found Husky. We met Senri in another village, defending the fields from some greedy gold-diggers. He's a Kim-Un-Kur, one of the tribes who live in the mountains. They're rather infamous for being +Anima.

"His father's went mad one day, when fighting the flesh-eating bear of the mountains, and he nearly killed Senri. Senri got his +Anima from that bear, and the only thing stopping him from going mad as well is a mental block on the memories and that eye patch."

Cooro stopped, taking a long breath. The story he was telling was not a pleasant one, and as much as he'd like to stop at the happy points, he knew they needed to reveal the ending. Husky leaned forward.

"We traveled around Astaria, and even went to Sailand, to see my mother. And it was nice. But Fly wasn't exactly patient, and when we ended up at the church Cooro had lived, we found a tunnel that lead to the research facility.

"We went there, and he almost convinced Nana and I to give up our +Animas. We both changed our minds, and went to find Cooro." Nana looked at the ceiling, sighing. She didn't like this part. But it was hers to tell.

"We had thought Cooro was different for a long time, because he didn't act like most +Anima. We thought he might be artificially made, and I got angry and yelled at him while he talked to Fly. Fly was talking about why he'd sent Cooro out in the first place, and it sounded like Cooro had purposefully led us there.

"I ran off, and Husky and Senri followed. We went into the city, and Husky managed to talk some sense into me. But when we tried to go back to the facility, they wouldn't let us in." She stopped, and Husky began again. Cooro looked at the others, who stared, transfixed, at the four of them.

_Well, even in our world, it's not exactly a normal story, is it?_

"We were walking back to the church, to go through the tunnels, when we stumbled onto another entrance, which was an older facility as well. The scientist that taught Fly, and saw Cooro's birth, lived there. He told us about him.

"We got back to the facility, but Cooro… had already gone through the surgery. He'd also run off, to a village over the hills where the crows flew free." They were all silent, each remembering the story, the pain and sadness evident on Cooro's face when they'd finally found him. Nana shook her head.

"We caught up, and Cooro grew new wings. I don't know, but Senri says they're his old ones. We know that Fly went off into the sky after Blanca, and that neither of them were ever seen again, so… it might be true." Harry frowned; the story was long, and half the answers they'd wanted were still mysteries. He glanced at Senri, just as he moved closer to Cooro, who had begun to shiver while they'd been talking. He smiled gratefully, then looked at the others.

"A few weeks after all that, we were walking through the woods, when I saw something shining further along. It was a portal, we found out later. I jumped through, and the others followed. We found ourselves in the Forbidden Forest. Snape found us and brought us to the castle. Dumbledore decided to put us in the Sorting. We'd managed to arrive a bit before the train arrived."

Hermione frowned, processing the story. It sounded far-fetched, but so did a three-headed dog, and as a Muggle-Born she couldn't very well tell what was possible and what wasn't, despite extensive reading.

Ron looked at Husky warily, as though fearing the royal side of him was going to turn him into a Slytherin like Malfoy.

Harry seemed the calmest; he was wondering what kind of portal could go between worlds, and if they could push Malfoy through one.

Neville, however, was the first to speak.

"You're from another world? What's it like there?" Cooro's eyes brightened, but Nana cut him off before he could answer.

"You still need to tell us about detention. Senri was covered in silver… stuff, and I want to know why." Harry filled them all in as quickly as he could; it was fairly obvious that none of the +Anima really wanted to talk at the moment. Especially about the detention.

"You think it was Snape?" Husky asked of them, once they'd discussed the event in detail. All three nodded; Neville sat and watched quietly. He was scared of Snape, but he didn't really think he was _that _evil. However, he didn't want to annoy his rather recent friends, so he stayed silent. Husky didn't.

"That's foolish. He's openly unpleasant; wouldn't that make him more suspicious?" Husky had learned from an early age that the seemingly nice people were often the ones to stab you in the back.

Harry frowned. That logic didn't make any sense to him, but growing up with the Dursleys, he supposed, might have something to do with that. They weren't very subtle in their dislike of him. Cooro smiled, and unconsciously muttered something he'd been told once in a dream.

"Watch carefully, for the hawk will openly attack the nest, but beware the wily serpent, who will sneak in from behind." They all turned to look at him, and he blushed a bit when he realized he'd said it aloud. No-one commented. Nana yawned, and it was soon followed by, well, everyone. They decided to go to bed, and further discuss everything in the morning.

Neville grabbed Ron's arm as he walked to the stairs. When he turned, Neville grinned shyly at him.

"Thanks for including me, mate." Ron looked confused for a minute, before grinning back.

"No problem! It's your riddle too, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked up the stairs, and Neville hastened after him, still smiling.

After all, it wasn't everyday you got pulled into a dangerous mystery by some of the most popular kids in your House, was it?

Yes, it's short, but I wanted this up before I leave. By the way, has anyone here played Adventure Quest?


	17. Chapter 17

A Twist in History, Chapter Seventeen

**A.N. **Happy [late] Fourth of July! Hope you all had fun! (Even those of you that aren't American and have no reason for it to be anything special)

Malfoy was unusually quiet over the next few days, Husky noted as people slowly forgot the large amount of points they had lost. He seemed especially nervous whenever he saw Senri. Apparently the sight of him covered in unicorn blood was rather frightening.

Harry seemed especially pleased by contrast. He told them his Invisibility Cloak had been returned mysteriously when he went to bed, with no note. Cooro grinned, deciding to leave out exactly _who_ had left it. It would be awkward explaining why he'd kept it until then.

Husky asked him why, and he smiled sheepishly.

"I couldn't get into their dorm! There was always someone awake, or else we were in class." Husky had rolled him eyes at that, but left it alone.

Exams came up, and they were amazed that any of them could focus with the threat of Voldemort or one of him minions bursting through the doors of the classroom. Harry thought this, anyway; the others were of the opinion that he would be a bit more subtle if he attacked.

Hermione seemed to be the only one who was completely at ease; though that was more from the fact that she could recite the answers in her sleep than lack of worry. Though she did spend any discussion on the subject convincing them that, with Dumbledore there, they were about as safe as dragon eggs in a nest.

Ron winced at the analogy, absently rubbing a scar on his hand.

Harry had more trouble than them for another reason; his scar. It was burning on and off without cause, which was very distracting. Cooro thought, momentarily, about saying something to Professor Dumbledore, but the others quickly shot it down, simply because Harry didn't want to bother him. The +Anima were far closer to him than he was. None of them insisted, remembering that they had told him of the unicorn months before anyone had done anything, which raised suspicions that he wouldn't do much with the information.

Their last exam, History of Magic, almost made Cooro go insane. Binns could make anything boring. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help dozing through the hour they were there. Thank goodness he'd studied with Hermione before, or he'd have failed.

They left the classroom, laughing as their classmates ran screaming through the halls, celebrating their escape from the last exam. Hermione began going over what she'd studied that hadn't been needed. Cooro was zoning out when something she'd said caught his attention.

"What's the Werewolf Code of Conduct?" It rung a bell, but, as previously stated, it was difficult paying attention to History of Magic. As Hermione explained the Code, with all four Anima listening attentively, they reached the tree. Ron was happily exclaiming how nice it was to be free of studying to Neville and Harry when Harry groaned.

"It's still _burning!_ Wish I knew why, maybe I could stop it…" Nana turned to him.

"Why not see Madam Pomfrey?" They stared at her, and she held up her hands.

"Well, she might know what to do!" Harry shook his head, murmuring, mainly to himself, that it felt like a warning.

Ron insisted that Hermione was right in her safe-near-Dumbledore mentality, making Husky wonder what he'd say when they left for summer.

_Wait…_He looked at the others, who were either nodding or arguing with Ron, not seeing him. Where _were _they going to go for the summer? It wasn't like they had any family to go to.

_Maybe Remus… _But wouldn't it be wrong to expect that? Almost greedy…

Husky was pulled out of his thoughts when Harry jumped up, looking panicked.

"I have to see Hagrid." Without another word, he ran off. They looked at each other, then ran after him.

By the time Husky got there, Cooro and Senri had already reached him, and explaining his suspicions to the others as they caught up.

"So, wait… you think that the mysterious stranger that Hagrid met in a pub is the Bad-Guy-That-May-Or-May-Not-Be-Snape, or BGTMOMNBS, and that Hagrid might know who he was?" Harry nodded, running off again, with Neville, Ron and Hermione following. The +Anima stayed put, and Cooro groaned out loud.

"This is too complicated for me!" Husky rolled his eyes, then glanced over to where Hagrid was talking to the other four, who were looking more and more agitated as time went on.

The four began coming back, and when they reached them, it was with bad news: Hagrid had told the BGTMOMNBS how to get past Fluffy. Hermione, the last to speak, looked around at them as they walked.

"Where's Cooro?"

Now, Cooro wasn't one to leave without telling the others where he was. They got rather annoyed when he did that, and he hated to make them worry. And Husky's stick hurt his head.

But, right now, he needed to speak to an adult he felt he could trust, because they always seemed to know Things. Things that other children didn't think of, except maybe Hermione.

So he ran into the castle, ignoring McGonagall yelling at him to be careful, not stopping until he got to the Owlry.

Or, that was his plan, until he rather forcefully was stopped, by another person going the other way.

The person happened to be Professor Dumbledore, who had managed to stay upright, unlike the crow now sprawled on the ground. Unperturbed, he stood up, apologizing, and started on his way again. Dumbledore chuckled, and walked away.

Cooro stopped, a floor and three corridors away from where he'd crashed. He could hear, faintly, the voices of his friends, asking for Dumbledore. McGonagall saying he'd left. He looked at the stairs to the Owlry tower, then at the window where he could see a black shape flying towards what he assumed was London.

He sighed. _Husky's gonna kill me._

**Five P.M., Hogwarts**

Husky groaned aloud, wishing things were simpler. Dumbledore had left, Cooro was missing, and McGonagall, due to Ron still believing that Snape was in league with Voldemort, now thought them all suspicious, and they were banned from leaving the Common Room.

Nana was staring out of the window, and Husky could see that she was looking for Cooro, or anything that would reveal his location. He didn't often run off (at least not recently) and it was worrying. The other four were making a plan, whispering so quietly that he couldn't hear them. It was only the three; Neville was sitting with Senri, and they both were staring into the flames.

Nana turned to him. Whispering so quietly that he was half reading her lips to understand what she was saying.

"They're going through the trapdoor tonight. They'll try to leave us behind; less danger." He nodded, mouthing back,

"Are we going with them?" She nodded, then glanced at Neville and Senri meaningfully, clearly conveying _tell them._

It wasn't until after dinner, the only time they were allowed out, that he had the chance. Neville was his priority at the moment, so he pulled him back as the others walked towards the Tower.

"Neville, the others are planning to go after the Stone tonight. No,. they weren't going to tell us. It was for safety, or something equally ridiculous. I'm telling you so that if you wish to come with, if only to knock some sense into their heads, you can." Neville stared at him, looking properly terrified, though if it was of the idea of going, or Husky himself, he'd never know.

"O… Okay." He purposely didn't say whether he would go, and Husky didn't push. It was his choice, and he wouldn't force him to go on what was clearly going to be a dangerous mission.

Though, when he saw him following Ron and Harry from the dorm, he couldn't help but smile at the determined look on his face.

**Eleven thirty P.M., Flying over London**

Cooro winced, trying to follow Dumbledore and rub his wings at the same time. He'd hoped that it would be a short flight, or that maybe he could reach him before he got to the Ministry. Now it was night, and as it was, he was struggling to keep up. Whatever Dumbledore was riding, it was a stronger than him.

It certainly didn't help that Dumbledore had cast something on himself and the horse-thing* so that they were barely visible, while Cooro had to swoop up and around to avoid being seen by the Muggles they were flying over.

He reached into his pouch, finding a half-full flask of his special potion. Taking a long sip, he felt energy flow straight through his wings, sharpening his eyesight and forcing a caw out of his throat. Side-effect of taking it, which was why he hesitated. The caw seemed to startle the thing Dumbledore was riding, for it slowed a bit. Then it began to descend. Cooro smiled, then looked for a place to land safely, without notice.

**Ten P.M., Hogwarts**

Harry and Ron started in surprise when Husky, Senri and Neville came down the stairs to the Common Room. Husky looked annoyed at them.

"What are you doing here?" Ron, ever oblivious, didn't notice Husky roll his eyes.

"Same as you. Very rude, trying to leave us behind, you know." Harry looked at him like he was crazy, not registering that the girls had come down as well.

"It's not like we're going on some kind of vacation! This is_ dangerous_-"

"You think you're more capable of facing danger than we are, Potter?" Husky was perfectly calm on the outside, but seething. He'd dealt with more danger than this…. _boy_, he had no right to try and protect him!

"It's not your problem, I don't want you to get hurt-"

"_Hush!"_ They looked at Nana, Husky bringing his hands up, ready to cover his ears if necessary.

"Now. We don't need your protection, we want to help. We will all go and be heroes, or whatever this is, and we will do it together. Understand?" At their nods, she gestured towards the door.

**Midnight, London**

Cooro ran after Dumbledore as he walked briskly towards a phone booth.

"Professor!" He turned in surprise, spotting Cooro in the half-light immediately.

"Cooro. What are you doing here?" Cooro caught up, panting and shaking from the effort of standing.

"Please, sir. Harry and the others… The Stone… Knows how… Fluffy…" Dumbledore looked alarmed.

"Come, follow me, and catch your breath. Explain in a moment, we'll get out of the open right now." Cooro managed a nod, following Dumbledore into the booth, while Dumbledore dialed some numbers and spoke into the phone.

The booth began to sink into the ground as Dumbledore handed Cooro a badge that said his name and _Visitor_ in curly script. They came out in a large room, but Cooro ignored it in favor of turning to Albus, worry settling on his face.

"Sir, the others are going to get the Stone tonight. Someone knows how to get past Fluffy and the other barriers, and you're not there to protect it, and Firenze says that Voldemort is the one controlling whoever knows and…" Dumbledore waved a hand, and Cooro stopped.

"Why didn't you say any of this earlier?" Cooro wasn't sure if he meant over the last few weeks, or when they'd crashed into each other earlier, but it didn't matter.

"I only found out about that they know how to get past Fluffy after you left. The others were looking for you and told McGonagall, and she said you'd flown off, so I followed…" He nodded, and frowned.

"I do believe that the letter I received was a hoax. Don't you agree, Cooro?" Cooro nodded, swaying a bit.

Well, let's not waste time. We'd better be off to the castle, don't you think?"

**Midnight, Third Floor Corridor**

Neville ran from the room, wishing he wasn't. Senri was still inside, waiting to jump down the hole. The others had jumped down, leaving them at the top 'just in case.' For all their speeches of being in this together, it seemed like he was being protected.

Senri had heard the screams first, and grabbed Fluffy just as he woke up, humming to lull him to sleep. He'd told Neville to get a teacher, any one of them. He was going to get the others. Neville had hesitated, scared but not wanting to leave him, when Senri glared at him.

"_Go!"_ And he went, running through the halls to where he knew McGonagall's rooms were, taking a shortcut to through the Great Hall, where he stopped.

An exhausted Cooro was stumbling along next to worried Dumbledore, both of whom were making a beeline to where he'd just come from. They saw him, and rushed forward immediately.

"Neville! Are they okay? What's going on?" Cooro jumped up a bit, gaining energy from the worry that his friends were anything less than perfectly safe.

"No- listen, they're in that room, we have to hurry- there was screaming…" Dumbledore kept walking, and Neville half-ran next to him.

"Cooro, you and Neville go get Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. No arguments- go now!" They did.

**Eleven P.M., the Key Room**

Husky had groaned at the sight of the brooms, but anything was better than the Devil's Snare. Lucky that Neville could yell instructions down to them; he was ace at Herbology.

It had taken nearly twenty minutes to find the proper key, with Husky staying on the ground (there were only three brooms), Nana flying and the other three on broomsticks. When they had the right one, the remaining keys began to attack. Husky got the door open, pushing it wide.

"Go! I'll keep them back, just _go!"_ They flew through the door, Ron throwing his broom back at him, and he slammed it shut. Deftly breaking off the straw at the end, he hefted up the staff, facing the quickly closing in keys.

_At least they're bigger than the bees…and they don't have stingers._ He swung at the first wave, looking grim.

**Twelve Twenty A.M., Third Floor Corridor**

Cooro wished the Potion didn't have such nasty side-effects if you took more than a gulp in three hours; he was barely seeing straight. He shouldn't be _this _tired, should he? It was only seven hours of flight… On second thought, how was he standing? He hadn't eaten since breakfast, which wasn't helping.

The two teachers were getting all information out of Neville, while he simply leaned on the wall.

Senri emerged from the hole, looking curiously at them all. Nana, Hermione and Husky were on his shoulders, and Ron was unconscious in his arms. Mme. Pomfrey pounced, taking Ron from his arms and beginning to look him over. The others were being questioned.

Nana walked over to him, worry on her features.

"Are you okay? Where were you?" He opened his eyes, wondering when they'd closed.

"Followed Dumbledore… couldn't catch him 'til we were in London… Apparated here, then walked to the castle." He looked at her face, tired but fine, then at the others. They were all okay. He smiled, then collapsed onto the floor, ignoring the surprised look on Nana's face and the worried exclamations that came from the dark void beyond her.

**Eleven Forty-Five P.M., The Chessboard**

Nana looked at the others, worried. She had absolutely no idea how the game was going. Husky might, but he was back in the Key Room, beating back the flying devils. Ron yelled for her to move a few paces to her left, and she complied.

A few minutes later, she was kneeling on the ground, trying to staunch the blood coming from Ron's head, while Hermione went through the doorway. A nasty smell wafted through before it shut again, and the chessboard reset itself, the pieces magically fixed and silently waiting.

**Twelve Thirty A.M., Third Floor Corridor**

McGonagall paced nervously outside the door. Mme. Pomfrey had dragged all of the children away from the hall, with her help, and was caring for their injuries in the Hospital. Minerva had returned to wait.

Cooro's collapse was rather worrying, but Nana explained he'd flown after Dumbledore all the way to London, and he was simply exhausted. McGonagall wasn't sure whether she believed her, but for now, she had to.

She was ripped from her thoughts as noise came from the door. Opening it, she heard phoenix song resounding through the room, lulling Fluffy to sleep once more and filling her bones with strength. As she watched, Dumbledore emerged from the hole by some spell, a phoenix on his shoulder and Harry Potter in his arms.

**Three Thirty A.M., Hospital**

Remus Lupin sat carefully next to a bed. Specifically, between two beds. Both were occupied, and he gazed between the two often.

In one was Cooro, dead to the world. He was paler than normal, but otherwise unharmed. Nana, Husky and Senri were in the three beds opposite, though none of them were injured. They'd refused to leave.

In the other was Harry Potter. He gazed at the boy sadly, noticing how alike he was to James. He had Lily's eyes, though he couldn't see them now. Remus sighed, wondering for the billionth time what could have happened if he'd fought Dumbledore's decision, shown him the will… But it was done. Nothing for it.

Leaning against the wall, he thinks back to Dumbledore's letter from last week. He hadn't responded yet, and time was running out to make a decision.

_Dear Remus,_

_As you are no doubt aware, the school year is drawing to a close. Which raises a problem for our four friends._

_They, I suppose, will not ask you about it, so I will: Would you be willing to have them for the summer? _

_Don't rush your answer, as three months with four children isn't something most would jump into, but please consider it._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

It wasn't that he didn't want them, but would they even want to stay there? They hadn't noticed his transformation over Christmas, but there would be three of them over the summer, which they were bound to know. He sighed, letting himself drift into sleep in the dark Hospital.

It would be nice to have other people around for a while…

* Yeah, I know it's a thestral. I am assuming that seeing his mother's death counts for this.

Well, here's the chapter. If the layout is confusing to anyone, please tell me!


	18. Chapter 18

A Twist in History, Chapter Eighteen

**A.N. **I do hope you're all having a good summer. I wish to ask all of you; would you prefer the Chamber of Secrets to be a separate story, or to continue it here? I don't care wither way, so it's your choice.

You've got as much time as I take to update, so please respond soon!

Remus woke with a start, looking around in confusion at the dark room. Slowly, memories of the night before filtered into his mind, and he groaned, leaning back. Really, when _he'd _been in school, he would have _never_ taken such risks!

He snorted aloud at that. He'd done far more dangerous things than this.

A light sound to his left made him turn.

Harry stirred slightly, hearing a noise but unsure of what it was. Then there was another sound, and his brain drowsily told him it was a snort of laughter. But far nicer than Voldemort's…

He shot up in an instant, panicked. Where was he? Where were Voldemort and Quirrel? What about the Stone?

He made to get up, but strong hands gently pushed him back, a rough voice sounding from the dark.

"Lay down, there's nothing you need to be up for." Harry let himself go limp, hand reaching for his glasses, only for the owner of the hands to put them on his face for him.

Out of the blur of color emerged a tanned, scarred face framed by light brown hair. It struck a cord in his memory, but he couldn't place it.

"Who are you?" The man looked keenly at him for a moment before sitting back down.

"Remus Lupin." _That_ name was familiar.

"The guy Nana, Husky, Cooro, and Senri stayed with over Christmas?" Remus nodded, drinking in the sight of the boy. He really did have Lily's eyes, but otherwise looked like Prongs from first year, knobby-kneed' and full of energy.

"Why are you here?" Remus shakes his head, dropping the nostalgia from the past. _Prongs is dead, _he reminded himself._ Don't dredge up those memories again._

"I got a message from Dumbledore saying there were injuries, and-" He is forced to cut himself off and hold Harry to the bed again, as said boy shot up at his words.

"Who's injured? I thought they were fine! How bad is it? Who was it? How-" Remus waves his hand, shushing him immediately.

"Nothing was serious. I was worried about the very idea of you all going for the Stone, what with all the protection on it. Cooro is in the bed behind me, but that is due to him flying for five hours without stopping." Harry finally laid all the way back, taking off his glasses.

"It was nice talking to you, I guess…" He was out like a light. Remus wondered vaguely if he would even remember this conversation later.

"Good-night, mini-Prongs."

Cooro awoke that morning, and immediately knew three things:

One, he was _very_ hungry. He could eat the entire House's food and still want more.

Two, the other, discluding Harry, were all safe and probably asleep.

And three, there were people talking about him above his head, and one of them was Remus.

Slowly, he cracked his eyes open, trying to both see and hear what was going on.

"It's not fair not to tell them, Dumbledore. I know you want to be protective, but …"

Cooro opened his eyes a bit more, and saw that Remus and Dumbledore were looking at him. He grinned sheepishly, sitting up and opening his eyes fully, looking at them innocently.

"Er… I didn't hear anything?" Remus laughed.

"Of course not. I do hate to be rude, but I'm French, and I believe Albus has something to speak to you about. I'll get you something to eat." And he left. Cooro turned to the Headmaster expectantly.

"Well, I believe I am being press ganged to reveal something that I do not believe you need to know yet." He sighed, then continued.

"The Ministry has caught word of you. Your friends may be known as well, but it is you we are concerned about. I am using my influence to get them too give a pass to continue schooling and such, but it is unsure if it will work." Cooro froze.

"When… how did they hear about me?" Dumbledore gazed at him pensively.

"Probably from one of your classmates writing home. Don't worry about how, the question is whether we can get them to leave you alone. Meanwhile…" He got an amused look in his eye as he continued, and Cooro got the feeling that not all parties involved were informed.

"Remus has told me it would be alright for you to stay with him over the summer, as well as the other three. That is, of course, if you want to…?" Dumbledore noted that the boy in front of him practically lit up at the idea.

"Really? We can? He said that?" Albus nodded. What Cooro didn't know was that Remus was in the corridor outside, listening.

"I'd love to! And I'm sure the others would as well!" Here he stopped, and looked around. Harry's curtains were pulled around him, and the other beds were empty.

"Where _are_ the others?" Albus laughed, before leaning back a bit, glancing through the window for a moment before speaking.

"Asleep, I imagine. It's rather early. Or eating, perhaps." Remus chose this time to walk in with a platter of sorts, laden with food. And apples. Lots of apples.

Cooro was practically drooling as the tray was set in front of him.

The train was as packed as it had been on the way to Hogwarts, back in September. The eight children sat in a compartment to themselves, slightly crammed. Nobody wanted to be discluded, however, so they sat on the floor as well as the seats.

Nobody mentioned the Chamber, though it was on everyone's minds. No-one said a thing about winning the House Cup either, even with random people coming in with congrats and thanks for not letting Slytherin win again.

There was no simple reason for this. It was partially because some of them were sad to leave. It was a bit because mentions of the entire thing caused a few of them to break out in a cold sweat. It could be attributed to the fact that they were exchanging addresses and phone numbers (Remus, Harry and Hermione all knew how to work one), with promises to talk over the summer.

But I believe the main reason behind it was because it simply didn't seem important. The +Anima had done plenty in their time together, and were used to adventures like this, though not as dangerous.

Neville seemed too happy that he had friends, and furthermore, that he'd _helped_ those friends in their quest.

Ron and Hermione had had their share of talking of secrets, and would prefer to discuss something else, thank you very much.

And Harry… simply wanted to forget. Because if he remembered, he would be faced with that tiny hint of doubt: _Could_ Voldemort bring his parents back? Had he missed his one chance at a happy family?

Looking at the others, who were engaged in a chess tournament, he remembered that it wasn't worth it; that selling out everyone he knew and loved would be the vilest thing a person could do, even for his parents. But in the darkest reaches of his mind, a place he rarely ventured out of fear and disgust, the thought festered.

Remus waited at the station, and greeted them all warmly. He had to re-introduce himself to Harry, confirming his thought that he didn't remember. Hermione, Neville and Ron left, spotting their own parents on the platform.

Harry was enjoying talking to the others a bit more when he spotted his uncle walking towards them, scowling. Sighing quietly, he pointed him out to the others, who frowned.

Cooro dragged them all into a group hug, saying that he would write a letter everyday and come to visit all the time, etc. Harry laughed, waved good-bye one more time, and walked to his uncle, dragging his trunk and Hedwig behind him.

Vernon Dursley was a practical man, in every sense of the word. He remembered what was important, and let everything else fall by the wayside. So it annoyed him greatly to realize that he couldn't remember who the worn-looking man talking to his nephew was.

He knew that he'd known at some point, and that was what angered him, because it meant he'd forgotten something that was rather important.

Perhaps he'd simply repressed it, due to the man obviously belonging to the world he and his wife longed to forget.

Harry had joined him, and they were walking back to his car now. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that simply asking might remind him.

"Who was that man you were talking to?" He said it as gruffly as possible, trying to hide his curiosity in the answer. Harry scowled a bit at his question, shoving the paper he'd been reading into his pocket.

"Mr. Lupin. My friend's uncle; he came to pick them up." Unbidden, Vernon glanced back, to see one of the children Harry'd been talking to watching them. He glared, and the boy smiled a bit before turning away to talk to the girl. They were walking in another direction; another parking spot, he'd bet. The man was turned away.

Lupin… it didn't strike any bells. He wondered if he was mistaken for a moment, before dismissing the idea. The man, even from afar, had an odd persona around him, looking weak but giving off waves of strength and courage. It unnerved him, even from the rapidly growing distance as he drove in silence.

Late that night, on a whim, Vernon slipped out of his bed, going to the storage closet and rooting around for a few minutes.

Finding his prize, a beat-up box from the back, he made his way to the kitchen, opening it as he went.

Inside it was a wealth of strange objects. He ignored them, pushing to the back where several pictures sat wrapped with a cord to keep them together. Some moved, and some were still, all featuring a red-headed girl at various stages of life. Impatient, he flipped through them, hoping to awaken some memory….

_There!_

There he was, though much younger. This photo was of the moving variety, and featured four boys and the girl, sitting under a tree. As he watched it, a boy with messy black hair leaned over and kissed her. The man and another one, also with black hair, laughed at them.

It was a happy scene, and Vernon felt uncomfortable as he watched the small people pull apart and laugh more, obviously very content. The second raven haired boy called something out, and the first retaliated with a tackle, nearly hitting the other boy in the process. He simply moved towards the girl and laughed some more.

Vernon flipped the picture over, reading over the back.

_Lily, James, Remus and Sirius. Seventh year, April._ Remus… Remus Lupin. One of Lily's school friends. Quickly, he flipped through the rest, seeing this Remus several times, sporadically, as he went. Finally, he found the wedding pictures. Lupin was standing next to who must've been Sirius, watching Lily walk down the aisle. Even from this angle, he could see himself, barely, sitting with Petunia's parents.

So that was it. He recognized him from the wedding. H put it all away carefully, muttering while he did so.

"Just a face from the wedding. Nothing weird about remembering a face. That's all it was…" He didn't like even this tiny reminder of magic.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain magical creature in the bedroom across the landing heard every word. He didn't sleep that night, mind filled with the strange things he'd heard.

_I know, I know, it's short. Major-ly so. I just wanted to finish the year. So, if you would please answer the question at the top, I'd be ever-so grateful! _

_Siriusly. I need to know by Monday, so I can write the next one._


	19. Author's Note: New Story!

Yes, this is an author's note. I know I'm not supposed to make them, but I needed to put something up.

The next chapter, as per the votes, is in a separate story, called A Snake in the Nest. It'll be up within a few minutes of this note, so be patient if you get this right away.

Thanks to all who read this, I hope you enjoy the next book!

~Kypri


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